Kara Spoff

Selenium is one heck of thing. It’s recommended that we take 65-150 micrograms a day. If you take in less than 50, you can get selenium deficiency, get very ill with all kinds of blood diseases and even die. If, on the other hand, you over dose on your selenium supplement, your kidneys will eventually experience a failure and you can die too.

Thankfully, as with everything in life, there is a balance in how much you need to stay healthy.

Recommended selenium intake varies from country, gender and age.

For the man living in Americas (there might be expectations in some places at South America), you need at least 70mcg. If you are 14 years old or older, then going more than 400 mcg a day will get you in the unhealthy zone.

For women the minimum intake is lower – it’s recommended to take in 55 mcg a day and no more than 300. These stats go way up with a pregnancy.

Let’s take a look at the daily recommendations by age. Keep in mind; they will be different from Americas, as they will represent the need for the general population. They are also recommendations for food intake, so if you are using any sort of selenium supplement your needs can be different.

If you are 51 years old or older male or female, you need 60 mcg daily.
14-50 year old males and females will need 55 mcg daily. A pregnant woman should take in 60 mcg. If a woman is on lactation, she needs as much as 70 micro grams a day.
Kids aged 9-13 need 40 mcg. Younger 4-8 year old kids need 30 grams. 1-3 year old babies – 20mcg.

For newborns it’s recommended to have at least 15 mcg.

So, be careful in both ways!