Wellbeing Nutrition Health Fitness Ecosystem Environment Animals Lifestyle Business About Contact Us Hamburger Toggle Menu Edit Template Why We Need Selenium, And How Much Is Enough Selenium is an essential nutrient for humans. It acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage from free radicals, as well as helping with thyroid functioning and protecting against damage to DNA. Selenium deficiency can lead to a range of health problems including tiredness, hair loss, poor immunity, and reproductive difficulties. However, an excess of selenium can cause toxicity, leading to nausea, irritability, and other symptoms. So it’s important to get an adequate amount of selenium in your diet, but not too much. Recommended daily intakes are about 60 mcg (microgrammes) for women and 75 mcg for men, whilst daily intakes above 300 mcg can cause toxicity. There are many excellent vegan selenium sources. Read Next The Three Main Omega 3 Fatty Acids Vitamin B12 Supplements & Absorption Rates Some Great Vegan Zinc Sources Why We Need Calcium & How Much Is Enough Why It’s Important For Vegans To Pay Attention To Vitamin B12 Some Great Carbohydrate Sources & Their Calorific Content Protein – Why We Need It, How Much We Need & Some Great Vegan Sources How Much Iron We Need & Some Great Vegan Sources