Early on, even before I found out that I had Hashimoto’s, I knew about the importance of selenium for thyroid health. I would always recommend Brazil nuts (an excellent food source of selenium) to my patients with hypothyroidism.
What does selenium do in the body?
Selenium helps improve the conversion of T4 (inactive) to T3 (active thyroid hormone). Without sufficient selenium, this conversion decreases and we suffer from lower levels of T3.
Those of us with autoimmune thyroid disease also have a tendency to have more free radicals floating around (and more inflammation) in our body, so we need that additional selenium to support the antioxidants in our body. Selenium itself acts as a potent antioxidant. Vitamin C is helpful as well.
There are numerous studies that discuss the importance of selenium for those with autoimmune thyroiditis.
When to Supplement
However, do not start supplementing mindlessly. Selenium is a supplement that you can overdo it on, so you must be careful. For the average healthy person, I never recommend selenium supplementation as there is controversy about it causing blood sugar dis-regulation and the average healthy person does not need additional selenium to support the thyroid. But, in food form, selenium is excellent for everyone! All the more reason to seek out foods high in selenium to get it naturally and minimize any risk.
For those with Hashimoto’s, or Grave’s disease, selenium supplementation is likely appropriate (check with your Registered Dietitian or Doctor of course) as we tend to run low, and additional selenium plays a supportive role.
I choose a selenomethionine version to supplement with as it seems more absorbable. Alternatively, about 3-4 Brazil nuts can do the trick. However, there are some reports that the food form of selenium has not helped to reduce antibody levels, and others reports the food form did not work as well for them. Food form of selenium should work well, but perhaps people were not taking the food form consistently like a food medicine.
Food Sources of Selenium
- Brazil nuts
- Tuna
- Turkey
- Shrimp
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Cod fish
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Scallops
- Beef
- Barley
- Mushrooms
- Tofu
- Brown rice
- Eggs
- Sunflower seeds
