At the recommended intake, selenium provides antioxidant protection against illness and infections. Most people get enough of the mineral in their diets to prevent the serious selenium deficiencies linked to heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Too much selenium, on the other hand, may provoke side effects such as nausea. If you suffer from queasiness and suspect it comes from a selenium overdose, talk to your doctor about whether your diet or your vitamin regimen needs adjusting.
About Nausea
Nausea is the uncomfortable sensation that either precedes vomiting or that makes you feel as if you were about to vomit. While stomach flu, motion sickness, migraines and pregnancy remain classic nausea triggers, other illnesses and conditions may also lead to the unpleasant feeling. Overdosing on medication, vitamins, alcohol or illegal drugs can provoke nausea and vomiting. While selenium is one nutrient known to cause nausea in large doses, always check with your doctor instead of self-diagnosing the cause of your queasiness.
Selenium Connection
Having too much selenium each day may result in debilitating side effects, including nausea. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, related side effects from short-term overdoses include vomiting, fatigue and irritability. Over a longer period of time, frequent bouts of nausea are also possible. Clues to whether long-term selenium toxicity, a condition known as selenosis, is causing your nausea may lie in whether you also experience a metallic taste, hair loss or white streaks on your nails. Selenosis is rare in the United States.
Recommended Amounts
If you are taking extra selenium or have reason to suspect your diet is overly rich in the mineral, check food and vitamin supplement labels to determine your average intake. Teens and adults need about 55 mcg of selenium each day, while the recommended intake is 20 mcg for toddlers, 30 mcg for children 4 to 8, and 40 mcg for preteens. Adults and teens should not consume more than 400 mcg selenium each day. The limit for toddlers is 90 mcg; for children 4 to 8, 150 mcg; and for preteens, 280 mcg.
Considerations
While selenium-depleted soils cause a corresponding lack of selenium-rich foods in parts of Russia and China, U.S.-grown food is not low in the mineral. In fact, some parts of the country have high amounts of selenium in the soil, leading to high-selenium food and cattle crops, which produce vegetables, grains and meats high in the mineral. People in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota tend to take in more selenium than other Americans do. Similarly, Brazil nuts, tuna and beef, which provide at least 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of selenium, may result in the selenium overload that leads to nausea. Brazil nuts, in particular, may be problematic because 1 oz. provides almost 8 times the recommended daily amount.
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