What to know about zinc and selenium supplements?

In this article we will answer the question: what to know about zinc and selenium supplements?

Zinc and Selenium are minerals that our body cannot make itself. So we should provide them through our diet or in the form of supplement. We only require them in small amounts to help our body function properly. In this article we are going to dig into why should we use them, their doses and precautions.

Zinc:

It is an important micronutrient that plays in body’s overall health, immune functioning, sense of taste and growth. Zinc can naturally be found in fish, red meat and poultry etc.

Uses:

Zinc can be effective in certain conditions like diarrhoea, Wilson disease (copper build up in body), acne, age related vision loss, child growth and common cold and many others.

Dose:

RDA of zinc is given below:

Females:	RDA
18 years of age	9mg
19 or older	8mg
Pregnant:
18 years of age	13mg
19 or older	11mg
Breastfeeding:
18 years of age	17mg
19 or older	12mg
Males:
18 and older	11mg

For Children it depends on their age.

Precautions:

Zinc is safe to use as long as not taken in amount higher than 40mg daily. We can use higher amounts only for a very short period of time. But taking higher doses can reduce copper absorption in body. Very high doses of zinc can lead to vomiting, stomach pain, stomach pain and many other issues. A dose of 10-30g of zinc can lead to death.

Selenium:

Selenium naturally occur in foods and water. We require very small amounts of selenium that helps our metabolism.

Uses:

Selenium is known for its antioxidant properties helping the cells to prevent against damage. Its effect on prevention against cancer is inconclusive. Selenium deficiencies are uncommon. In case of conditions like HIV there are low levels of selenium.

Dose:

Age(years)	RDA
Children 1-3	20 micrograms
Children 4-8	30 micrograms
Children 9-13	40 micrograms
Adults and children 14 and up	55 micrograms
Pregnant women	60 micrograms
Breastfeeding  women	70 micrograms

Precautions:

Upper limit for selenium is 400 micrograms for adults. Certain high levels can be lethal. Overdose can cause bad breath, nausea, fever, liver, heart and kidney conditions.

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