Posted 09 January 2009 - 05:39 PM
From Richard Passwater's book, "Selenium as Food and Medicine" :
"All minerals, vitamins A and D, and even water and salt
can be toxic. We should not fear a nutrient just because
it has a toxic limit. However, we should respect that limit.
The real danger of selenium is its deficiency, not its toxicity."
"In preliminary clinical studies, adults who consumed 1,000
to 2,000 micrograms of selenium (in yeast) daily for periods
of over a month have failed to show any signs of toxicity."
" No signs of nerve, blood or liver abnormalities were found
in over 100 cancer patients given selenium supplements,
often in the 900 to 2,000 microgram range. This was confirmed
by 37 autopsies of those patients dying from cancer."
"As little as 3.5 parts per million of sodium selenite can
produce toxicity symptoms in domestic animals. This is
equivalent to 1,700 micrograms a day in a human diet."
"Selenium yeast is said to be only one-third as toxic as
sodium selenite.Therefore the toxicity threshold of selenium
yeast is about 5,000 micrograms per day. This compares to
the Food & Nutrition Board's safe and adequate range of
50 to 200 micrograms and the 500 micrograms of many
Japanese fishermen."
"Most selenium compounds are readily excreted from the
body, thus reducing the possibility of toxicity unless relatively
large amounts are consumed. Inorganic sodium selenite has
a half-life in the body of only a few days. The level of selenium
in the body is self-limiting at low sodium selenite intake levels."
