Is selenium safe to take while pregnant?

What side effects?

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I would like to ask you something, as a parent and as a woman - is it safe to have selenium while pregnant? - one of my Facebook friends asked me this morning. I smiled, pleased that she was thinking of me. What should I tell her? She knows nothing about me. I am just one of the million or so pregnant women who have taken up nutrition again. I was a complete newbie when I found myself among them on this journey and had to adjust quickly to life in a new body and a different way of living.

I am happy to say that my experience has been completely positive, as I have come through it with all my preconception knowledge and skills intact. In fact, things went even better than expected. I was not overweight and I had a healthy diet before becoming pregnant, but still I thought why not give it a try? Of course, when I got pregnant I became more interested in nutrition than ever. So I decided to put some effort into my diet - especially in respect to omega 3 fatty acids and selenium.

Selenium and omega 3. There is no clear evidence that these two supplements are useful in improving pregnancy outcomes. But, I was definitely worried about them for a few reasons. Firstly, you cannot have them both at once - as their molecular structures are incompatible. Secondly, they do not have the same properties. Selenium is a trace element and the body needs it to make hormones and to strengthen the immune system. However, some studies have suggested that too much selenium may be harmful for the developing baby, especially in the first trimester. I also didn't know if they were safe to take during pregnancy.

Fortunately, I found out that it was not dangerous to take either of them during pregnancy.

Who should not take selenium?

It is not recommended that the general population take selenium supplements.

If you have been exposed to low levels of selenium, they are also not recommended. But, there are no contraindications for selenium supplementation in the general population. However, if you have been exposed to high levels of selenium, you may be at greater risk of side effects. Selenium toxicity is rare but can occur.

Selenium and other vitamins and minerals do not cause side effects in most people. If there are side effects, they occur individuals who consume higher than recommended doses. Some people may also become sicker as a result of the large doses of vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D. There is no research demonstrating a protective effect of vitamin D on depression in adults. Adolescents with clinical depression have significantly lower levels of vitamin D. However, vitamin D appears to only help prevent non-serious infections in children aged 6-18 years. Therefore, there is not enough research to indicate whether or not it may be safe to recommend vitamin D for depression.

In adults, vitamin D has been tested as an adjunctive therapy in depression. However, this evidence was limited due to the participants taking high doses of vitamin D. These studies found that vitamin D does not have significant effects on depressive symptoms or side effects.

It may be that vitamin D and antidepressants work together to fight depression. More research is needed to test this theory. If this is true, vitamin D may be considered in the treatment of depression. It may also beneficial in combination with antidepressants.

Vitamin B12. There are few studies examining the link between vitamin B12 and depression. However, in a study conducted in the US, women with depression were more likely to have lower levels of vitamin B12. The majority of research suggests that vitamin B12 is safe for most people. However, in pregnant or breast-feeding women, doses over 500 mcg per day may be harmful.

The American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not recommend daily vitamin B12 intake as a treatment for depression. However, if a woman is in need of more than 500 mcg of vitamin B12 per day, alternative treatments should be considered.

Is selenium OK for breastfeeding?

This is a discussion on ?

Within the Baby. Forums, part of the Home Improvement category; Is there anyone here that has actually used selenium in the mother's diet during breastfeeding. I don't know .

Is there anyone here that has actually used selenium in the mother's diet during breastfeeding. I don't know if it is OK to do. There are no adverse side effects from selenium reported. From the other side of the fence there is a study from Finland that shows a high intake of selenium while breastfeeding may be harmful to the baby.

I am just wondering if any one here has had a chance to try it out and can speak to its safety. Re: Is selenium OK for breastfeeding? We're supposed to avoid selenium because it's toxic to the liver? And your liver is responsible for protecting the baby from toxins? Why on earth would we do that when we have such a wonderful safe way to do it? Selenium for some reason is the new "hot" supplement that everyone wants to use. And why not? It seems to be all over the place on the internet, and the claims are astounding. I've seen it used for almost every imaginable health problem. I'm not going to link to every claim I can find, but just google selenium and you'll find many of them.

I think people are using it because they're sick of all the hype around megavitamins. They just want something to "fix" their health problem.

Is it safe? I guess we just have to decide for ourselves. But if it's safe, there are SO many advantages.

It costs a lot less than the megavitamins, and you only need to take it a few days/weeks at a time. Plus, you get the best results by taking it with meals or after meals, since the stomach helps to process it.

If you take it at bedtime, then you end up taking much more because it doesn't go through digestion like foods. If you take it in capsules, it's a great supplement to take after a meal since you don't need to worry about the stomach process.