Apparently, there is no region of the South Island in New Zealand, that has high levels of selenium occurring naturally in soils.
Russia is the same, as is China, Scandinavia and other parts of the world, including some parts of Australia. The low values around the world are related to the nature of the rocks and the degree of soil weathering.
This is why, the trace element, selenium is now added to soils, animal drenching formulas and fertilizers in many countries.
I know this because of the pioneering work of Emeritus Professor Christine Thomson, from the University of Otago. Back in the 1990s, she gave lectures to those of us in her nutrition lectures, about the role of both selenium and iodine in the human diet.
The importance of Selenium
Whilst women don’t need a lot of selenium (and high levels can cause toxicity), understanding how women can reduce their fatigue levels during and after menopause as well as reduce brain fog and hot flushes, by being aware of both selenium and iodine in their diet, is an important lifestyle strategy consideration.
If women have a low intake of selenium-rich foods as well as iodine-rich foods, then this may also become problematic for thyroid function.
When thyroid function isn’t optimal, then nor are energy levels.
And daily fatigue, including muscular fatigue, is a problem that hundreds of women who have joined me over the past decade, have encountered.
The longer I’ve been working with midlife and older women, the more I better understand that during the menopause transition, one gland that really matters is the thyroid gland.
It’s function can get out of balance as women transition through menopause, because it works closely with the ovaries and the adrenals via the HPA-Thyroid Axis – a pathway whereby all the hormones communicate with each other.
The thing that many women don’t realise, is that the thyroid gland contains the maximum concentration of selenium of all the organs in our body.
Iodine and selenium are important nutrients.
They are required for optimal thyroid function and without both of these micronutrients, energy levels are low, hair falls out, women put on weight, they may develop aching muscles, experience brain fog and feel moody, depressed and ‘hot’.
Sound familiar?
Selenium and the Immune System
Selenium plays a role in both immune system functioning and energy metabolism. So too, does iodine. Both of these minerals are essential to human health and we must all obtain them from our diet.
In New Zealand, as in many other countries globally, the food supply contains low levels of both iodine and selenium (Brough, Gunn et al, 2017). This is due to the low content in soils.
Ever since the 1960s when mass production of wheat took off, high yield wheat grains, grown in selenium deficient soils around the world, was a fast track to the changing health of the population. This included thyroid deficiencies, heart disease, cancer, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. [Nally & Hailes, 2020)
For women transitioning menopause, no matter where they live, the knowledge that scientists have provided about selenium is important to us.
You see, both selenium and iodine are required for optimal thyroid function and the thyroid gland contains the highest concentration of these minerals in the human body.
Many of your clients with thyroid problems may already know that thyroid hormones are required for the control of metabolic processes, growth and development, especially of the brain and central nervous system.
So, if they are experiencing anxiety, brain fog, mood swings and changing energy levels, then please take note!
The deficiency of Selenium (and Iodine) can be problematic for women during menopause and post-menopause.
Selenium deficiency has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, muscle diseases such as fibromyalgia, poor recovery from exercise, thyroid problems and cognitive decline. In a recently published study, selenium, along with Vitamin D and C, in high doses, are now recommended for acute and chronic Covid recovery. (Bae and Kim, 2021).
Because Selenium carries out various functions in normal health and energy metabolism, absorption is also important.
When this super trace-mineral is eaten in certain foods, it is absorbed into the body by specific Selenium-related transporters in the small intestine. Then it’s taken to the liver.
After uptake in the liver, selenium may enter the methionine pool. This refers to a long-term storage pool for Selenium.
Methionine is one of nine essential amino acids (proteins) that humans must derive from food and is the initiating amino acid for protein synthesis (formation).
Those of your clients who are exercising regularly and working out, need to know that selenium is an important trace mineral for muscle recovery.
Selenium and Women’s Health: Are Women Getting Enough Without Bread and Meat?
In 2017, here in New Zealand, a group of nutrition researchers at Massey University investigated the iodine and selenium intakes in healthy, women aged 50–70 years (n = 97) from three cities in the North Island.
Bread is the majority grain consumed in New Zealand and since the 1960s, when wheat seeds changed towards higher yields, bread consumption, as well as the refined bread consumption, has increased dramatically. With the addition of iodine to bread, iodine levels have stabilised.
The same can’t be said for selenium.
In this study of post-menopausal women, blood levels of selenium were low in over 50% of them.
At one time, Finland had the lowest intake of selenium in the western world, but they fortified their fertilizers with selenium (as other countries such as NZ has done), and have since changed the equation.
But as women turn away from bread and meat, where are they getting our selenium from?
The Power of Brazil Nuts: A Natural Boost for Women’s Health
Brazil nuts (and kidney), became the mainstay sources of selenium in many countries that had low soil content of selenium.
Selenium helps energy, mood, reduces hot flushes and allows the thyroid to do it’s job of regulating temperature, weight and energy levels.
Only 3-4 Brazil nuts are needed daily.
The reason for the high content of selenium in Brazil nuts is that the proteins are high in sulfur-containing amino acids, and seleno-methionine. [ Fairweather-Tait et al., 2010].
I often wonder therefore, if women are getting checked for their iodine and selenium levels or if they are just having their symptoms viewed through the lens of ‘ovarian problems in menopause’ and get placed on hormonal medications and anti-depressants instead? It’s an interesting thought.
Understanding lifestyle solutions for menopause symptoms is what my certified Practitioner programmes focus on. One of the stances that I take in the MyMT™ Education Courses is to position the menopause transition in evidenced ageing science.
Afterall, menopause is the gateway to the next phase of a woman’s life, just as puberty was the gateway to our reproductive years.
I often remind you that menopause is the ‘bookend to puberty‘ and as such, there are changes going on around the body, not just in the ovaries, as women get older.
As such, adjusting aspects of our lifestyle to accommodate these changes, is an important strategy for all women navigating menopause.
That’s why I’m passionate about bringing scientifically evidenced lifestyle solutions to your menopause symptom toolbox for your clients – this includes understanding that we must focus on increasing our intake of certain vitamins and minerals, as well as sorting out any problems with gut and liver health, because how we absorb these nutrients is crucial.
Emerging science suggests that adequate selenium status may play a role in healthy ageing. So, let’s take care of that through adding a couple of Brazil nuts to our daily diet.
It’s a pretty simple solution isn’t it?
Dr Wendy Sweet (PhD)/ MyMT™ Founder and Member: Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
References:
Alehagen U., Opstad TB., Alexander J., Larsson A. & Aaseth J. (2021). Impact of Selenium on Biomarkers and Clinical Aspects Related to Ageing. A Review. Biomolecules. 2021 Oct 7;11(10):1478. doi: 10.3390/biom11101478. PMID: 34680111; PMCID: PMC8533247.
Bae, M., & Kim, H. (2020). Mini-Review on the Roles of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Selenium in the Immune System against COVID-19. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 25(22), 5346. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225346
Brough, L., Gunn, C. A., Weber, J. L., Coad, J., Jin, Y., Thomson, J. S., Mauze, M., & Kruger, M. C. (2017). Iodine and Selenium Intakes of Postmenopausal Women in New Zealand. Nutrients, 9(3), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9030254
Fairweather-Tait SJ, Collings R, Hurst R. (2010). Selenium bioavailability: current knowledge and future research requirements. Am J Clin Nutr. 91(5):1484S-1491S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.28674
Nally, A. & Hailes, L. (2020). Just cause and effect: Selenium deficiency in New Zealand. Write Answers Ltd Publ.: New Zealand.
Shreenath AP, Ameer MA, Dooley J. (2021). Selenium Deficiency. [Updated 2021 Dec 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.
Thomson CD, Robinson MF. Selenium content of foods consumed in Otago, New Zealand. N Z Med J. 1990 Mar 28;103(886):130-5. PMID: 2320341.
Triggiani V, Tafaro E, Giagulli VA, Sabbà C, Resta F, Licchelli B, Guastamacchia E. Role of iodine, selenium and other micronutrients in thyroid function and disorders. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2009 Sep;9(3):277-94. doi: 10.2174/187153009789044392.
Ventura, M., Melo, M., & Carrilho, F. (2017). Selenium and Thyroid Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment. International journal of endocrinology, 2017, 1297658. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1297658
