How much zinc and selenium should I take for thyroid?

Is it good to take zinc and selenium together?

I was wondering if taking zinc and selenium together will help the absorption of each?

And if I take zinc and selenium together, do I lose the benefit of taking zinc alone? The purpose of supplementation is to improve nutrition. Most supplements, if they're going to improve nutrition, increase the absorption of other nutrients that are ingested along with it. So yes, you could make this combination stronger than it would be on its own. You could also take them with different dosing schedules, to see which works best for you.

As for the specifics of Zinc/Selenium, most zinc supplement recommendations are to take at least 50 mg/day, and you can go up to 1000 mg/day, if needed. But it's not usually needed. Selenium has a maximum safety level of 200 mcg/day, and a minimum safe level of 20 mcg/day. It's possible that either would have toxicity issues if taken in excess doses, so it's important to work with a qualified nutritionist to choose the best combination for you.

What is the best form of selenium for thyroid?

Selenium and thyroid function have been a topic of discussion since the 1960's when it was discovered that many people who had thyroid dysfunction (hyper or hypo) were deficient in selenium. Since then, selenium supplementation and testing has become quite mainstream, with most doctors recommending it to their thyroid patients.

What is Se? Selenium, also known as selenium-methionine, is an essential trace mineral that serves as a co-factor of the enzyme thyroid peroxidase (TPO) or TPO2. TPO is vital to cell formation, protein synthesis, and thyroid hormone secretion. It does this by attaching tyrosine to thiophorsone via oxidative deamination. This leads to the synthesis of thyroglobulin which is then processed to produce the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).

Selenium also maintains the function of several important enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase, phospholipase A2, selenoprotein P, thioredoxin, and a small proportion of cytochrome C (Holland et al, 2001). Selenoprotein P is antioxidant enzyme that provides antioxidative protection to the cells and helps in the transport of the active forms of vitamin E to critical tissues. It can exist in either the cytosol or the extracellular space. The most prevalent form of selenoprotein P in the bloodstream is selenoprotein P75, a 75 kDa heterodimeric glycoprotein (Gao et al, 2005). In fact, some researchers think that high selenium status helps to maintain thyroid function in part by helping keep the protective layer of goiter clean (Pfaff et al, 2001).

Iodine and Selenium Deficiency. Both iodine and selenium are vital for thyroid function and have similar levels of toxicity. Se levels are very low in the thyroid and other key body tissues. Therefore, iodine and selenium need to work in tandem in order to reach these tissues and thus produce healthy thyroid hormone levels.