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Selenosis (having too much selenium in your body) results in gastrointestinal symptoms, hair loss, white blotchy nails, garlic breath odor, fatigue, irritability, and mild nerve damage. To be safe, the The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences set a tolerable upper dietary intake level for selenium at 400 micrograms per day for adults. As with any dietary supplement, follow the directions on the label, and mention it to your doctor.
Your body requires about 55 micrograms of selenium each day. You can get that amount of selenium from your diet, especially when you eat Brazil nuts, whole grains and seafood.Sources:
Office of Dietary Supplements. "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium." National Institutes of Health. Updated August 2004.
Yang GQ, Zhou RH. "Further observations on the human maximum safe dietary selenium intake in a seleniferous area of China." J Trace Elem Electrolytes Hlth Dis 1994;8:159–65.
