Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium. In fact, they contain more of this mineral than any other nut with an average of 96 mcg per nut. However, some pack as much as 400 mcg per nut.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) for selenium is 55 mcg per day for adults. The average Brazil nut contains 175% of the required amount of this mineral.
Selenium is a trace element that is vital for the proper functioning of your body. It is essential for your thyroid and influences your immune system and cell growth.
Indeed, higher levels of selenium have been linked to enhanced immune function and better outcomes for cancer, infections, infertility, pregnancy, heart disease, and mood disorders.
Although selenium deficiency is rare, many people around the world have insufficient selenium intake for optimal functioning. For example, suboptimal selenium status has been found in people throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.
Brazil nuts offer some impressive health benefits, but eating too many could be harmful.
In fact, an intake of 5,000 mcg of selenium, which is the amount in approximately 50 average-sized Brazil nuts, can lead to toxicity. This dangerous condition is known as selenosis and can cause breathing problems, heart attack, and kidney failure.
Limiting one's intake to one to three Brazil nuts per day is the best way to avoid consuming too much selenium.
Selenium Toxicity
Loss of hair and nails is the most common sign of poisoning, and changes in hair and nails are currently the only diagnostic technique for selenium toxicity. Other overt signs of selenosis include skin damage, mottling of teeth, nerve lesions, nausea, weakness, and diarrhea. Garlic odor on the breath from breathing out dimethylselenide also indicates excessive selenium exposure. Effects of selenium toxicity are seen at daily dietary intakes of above 900 μg.
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In the metric system, a microgram or microgramme is a unit of mass equal to one millionth (1×10−6) of a gram. The unit symbol is μg according to the International System of Units; the recommended symbol in the United States and United Kingdom when communicating medical information is mcg. In μg the prefix symbol for micro- is the Greek letter μ (Mu).
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