E59: Dietary selenium deficiency

Selenium is a component of many proteins in the body. Selenium is needed in the body to repair tissue, for example. In Europe, selenium is contained in particularly large amounts in fish, eggs and meat. Selenium is also present in plant-based food such as coconuts. The amount of selenium in plant-based food depends on the selenium content in the soil.

You have taken insufficient selenium with your food. If you have insufficient selenium in your body, you may for instance get symptoms due to insufficient thyroid gland messenger substances. The thyroid gland needs selenium to properly produce its messenger substances. The thyroid gland messenger substances regulate the heartbeat, body temperature and digestion, for example.

If there is insufficient selenium in the body, the nails may also be altered and the skin can become scaly. It is also possible that you will get muscle discomfort. Insufficient selenium in the body may also lead to heart disease.

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