Selenium is one of those minerals that we don’t hear much about, but it plays a very important role in many bodily functions. I became most interested in it when I was researching thyroid health (because I don’t have one and take a thyroid replacement hormone daily). There are many things that can affect thyroid health, but this was one that I had not read much about. I discovered that in order for the thyroid hormone that I take (levothyroxine or T4) to be converted to an active form in the body (T3), selenium intake needs to be adequate.
Based on some research and recommendations from another nurse practitioner, I decided to start taking a product called N-acetylcystine (an antioxidant) which contained selenium. In just a few weeks, my thyroid (TSH) levels had improved so much I had to actually cut back my dose. This was the plan, of course, but even I was surprised that the effect was so dramatic. If you are interested in looking further into improving your thyroid health, or the importance of selenium on other bodily functions like brain health, skin, digestion, etc, take a look at this article from the National Institute of Health.
If you’d like to discuss thyroid health and have some labs drawn to check your levels, give us a call. We’d love to help!
Thanks for reading!
Kim Setser, APRN, FNP