Re: Selenium in Brazil nuts

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

And while it is possible for vitamins, which are fairly complex

compounds to be transformed chemically into different compounds that

will have properties different from those of the vitamin, that is not

true of 'minerals'. Selenium is selenium, and cannot somehow be

destroyed in storage, or by oxidation or whatever.

So if 75% of the selenium is in the shell that would explain it. Or

does the selenium, after shelling, combine chemically in some way

that makes it incapable of being absorbed? But otherwise I cannot

imagine a logic by which the selenium content could be lost by the

process of shelling.

Rodney.

> >

> > I quote:

> >

> > Plants take up selenium from the soil and propagate it through

the food

> > chain. Brazil nuts <http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html>,

in

> > particular, like selenium. One unshelled Brazil nut (one you have

to

> > crack open yourself) contains an average of 100 micrograms (mcg)

of

> > selenium per nut. (Already shelled Brazil nuts have 12 to 25 mcg

of

> > selenium per nut.) Phytoplankton, the " plants of the sea, "

extract and

> > concentrate the even more minute amounts of selenium in ocean

water and

> > provide this needed element to fish. Selenium was identified as

an

> > essential trace element for mammals in 1957, and investigators

now have

> > determined <http://www.proteinscience.org/cgi/reprint/12/2/372>

that

> the

> > cells of all organisms, bacterial, animal, and non-animal, need

> selenium.

> >

> > from an interesting article on selenium from

> >

> > http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller24.html

> >

> > In particular my question is:

> >

> > Does an already shelled brazil nut lose 75% of its selenium?

> >

> > Positive Dennis

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Rodney,

The difference in selenium content between shelled and unshelled

Brazil nuts seems to be an URBAN MYTH that arose from

misinterpretation of Lisk's work. Take a look at this abstract:

>>>

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1745-4565.1989.tb00527.x

VARIATION IN THE SELENIUM CONTENT OF INDIVIDUAL BRAZIL NUTS

Carol L. Secor, J. Lisk

ABSTRACT

Brazil nuts are high in selenium content relative to other human

foods. Since the limits between human selenium essentiality and

toxicity are narrow, it is important to know the variation in selenium

content of individual nuts. Analysis was performed on 72 individual

nuts obtained in stores as shelled nuts in bulk and shelled and

unshelled nuts in packages. Their average selenium content was 14.66

ppm with a range of 0.2 to 253.0. The agronomic and health aspects of

these findings are discussed.

>>>

The wording " shelled and unshelled nuts " and " selenium content was

14.66 ppm with a range of 0.2 to 253.0. " could have led to the

misunderstanding that shelling corresponds to the lower selenium

value, whereas in fact the selenium content varies according to the

region where the nuts grow and shelling has no effect on the selenium

content at all. Notice that the values are in ppm.

There is a game where you pass a bit of gossip to the person next to

you in a circle. When the messages comes back to you around the

circle, it has been invariably distorted.

What is significant, is that some nuts have almost no selenium,

whereas others have very high values. This means that it may be very

difficult to regulate the amount of selenium in the diet by eating

Brazil nuts. By the way, how do you convert ppm (parts per million)

to mcg (micrograms)? 1 gram = 1,000,000 micrograms, so 1 gram of

Brazil nuts have 14.66 mcg of selenium on average? Two Brazil nuts

weigh about 10 grams according to CRON-o-meter, so they have 146.6 mcg

of selenium. At the upper range of 253 ppm, two nuts would have a

whopping 2,530 mcg or 2.5 mg of selenium. This is overdose territory.

Tony

> > >

> > > I quote:

> > >

> > > Plants take up selenium from the soil and propagate it through

> the food

> > > chain. Brazil nuts <http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html>,

> in

> > > particular, like selenium. One unshelled Brazil nut (one you have

> to

> > > crack open yourself) contains an average of 100 micrograms (mcg)

> of

> > > selenium per nut. (Already shelled Brazil nuts have 12 to 25 mcg

> of

> > > selenium per nut.) Phytoplankton, the " plants of the sea, "

> extract and

> > > concentrate the even more minute amounts of selenium in ocean

> water and

> > > provide this needed element to fish. Selenium was identified as

> an

> > > essential trace element for mammals in 1957, and investigators

> now have

> > > determined <http://www.proteinscience.org/cgi/reprint/12/2/372>

> that

> > the

> > > cells of all organisms, bacterial, animal, and non-animal, need

> > selenium.

> > >

> > > from an interesting article on selenium from

> > >

> > > http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller24.html

> > >

> > > In particular my question is:

> > >

> > > Does an already shelled brazil nut lose 75% of its selenium?

> > >

> > > Positive Dennis

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tony:

How interesting. So maybe we should buy brazil nuts from several

different sources and eat from each on a rotational basis in case one

source happens to be sky high in selenium?

Or perhaps this is a case where we should get the nutrient from a

supplement instead?

The following is from the Oregon State - Linus ing Institute -

page on selenium:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/selenium/

" Toxicity

Although selenium is required for health, high doses can be toxic.

Acute and fatal toxicities have occurred with accidental or suicidal

ingestion of gram quantities of selenium. Clinically significant

selenium toxicity was reported in 13 individuals after taking

supplements that contained 27.3 milligrams (27,300 mcg) per tablet

due to a manufacturing error. Chronic selenium toxicity (selenosis)

may occur with smaller doses of selenium over long periods of time.

The most frequently reported symptoms of selenosis are hair and nail

brittleness and loss. Other symptoms may include gastrointestinal

disturbances, skin rashes, a garlic breath odor, fatigue,

irritability, and nervous system abnormalities. In an area of China

with a high prevalence of selenosis, toxic effects occurred with

increasing frequency when blood selenium concentrations reached a

level corresponding to an intake of 850 mcg/day. The Food and

Nutrition Board (FNB) recently set the tolerable upper level (UL) for

selenium at 400 mcg/day in adults based on the prevention of hair and

nail brittleness and loss and early signs of chronic selenium

toxicity (11). The UL of 400 mcg/day for adults (see table below)

includes selenium obtained from food, which averages about 100

mcg/day for adults in the U.S., as well as selenium from supplements

For more information on the data used to set the recent RDA and UL

for selenium, see The New Recommendations for Dietary Antioxidants: A

Response and Position Statement by the Linus ing Institute in the

spring/summer 2000 issue of the Linus ing Institute newsletter. "

Rodney.

> > > >

> > > > I quote:

> > > >

> > > > Plants take up selenium from the soil and propagate it

through

> > the food

> > > > chain. Brazil nuts

<http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html>,

> > in

> > > > particular, like selenium. One unshelled Brazil nut (one you

have

> > to

> > > > crack open yourself) contains an average of 100 micrograms

(mcg)

> > of

> > > > selenium per nut. (Already shelled Brazil nuts have 12 to 25

mcg

> > of

> > > > selenium per nut.) Phytoplankton, the " plants of the sea, "

> > extract and

> > > > concentrate the even more minute amounts of selenium in ocean

> > water and

> > > > provide this needed element to fish. Selenium was identified

as

> > an

> > > > essential trace element for mammals in 1957, and

investigators

> > now have

> > > > determined

<http://www.proteinscience.org/cgi/reprint/12/2/372>

> > that

> > > the

> > > > cells of all organisms, bacterial, animal, and non-animal,

need

> > > selenium.

> > > >

> > > > from an interesting article on selenium from

> > > >

> > > > http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller24.html

> > > >

> > > > In particular my question is:

> > > >

> > > > Does an already shelled brazil nut lose 75% of its selenium?

> > > >

> > > > Positive Dennis

> > > >

> > >

> >

>