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Email a friendHow Dangerous Is Brazil Nut Gluttony?
Newspaper Columns, Herb & Home Remedy Q&A June 25, 2007
Q. I was taken aback by your remarks about limiting the number of Brazil nuts eaten. Many years ago when I was growing up, my parents bought nuts at Christmastime. Brazil nuts were my favorites and I ate tons of them. I continued the tradition as an adult. I ate lots myself and gave them to my children.
I have not seen Brazil nuts much recently and I seldom eat them. But what did I do to my health and my children’s with all these nuts?
A. Any health problems that might arise as a result of excess selenium would fade after you were no longer eating Brazil nuts or other selenium-rich foods. Selenium is a little bit like Goldilocks’ porridge: you need enough, but not too much.
The most common symptoms of selenium poisoning are seen in hair and nails. They can become quite brittle and fall out. Other problems you might have noted around Christmastime could have included rash, stomach upset, irritability or fatigue.
The tolerable upper limit of selenium is 400 micrograms a day for adults and less for children. An ounce of Brazil nuts, about half a dozen, may contain as much as 800 micrograms of selenium, so it makes sense not to gorge on too many too often.
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
© 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Reader Comments
My husband is deathly allergic to brazil nuts, so this story caught our eye. We are wondering if it might have something to do with the high levels of selenium in them, and if that is what he is allergic to? He is not allergic to any other type of nut, although avoids them all since many nuts are processed with Brazil nuts.
He developed the allergy at the age of 4, when his parents had to rush him to the emergency room because his tongue and throat had swelled shut. Years later, when he was in his twenties, I had the same experience with him. However, a trip to the ER, or some adrenaline and epinephrine are all it takes to relieve the symptoms, just like many other nut allerges.
Also, I just did a bit of research at the Office of Dietary Supplements website and found that canned tuna and large amounts of cooked beef have the 2nd and 3rd largest amounts of selenium in them (trace compared to Brazil nuts, though). However, he sometimes has a strange reaction of minor throat swelling to eating these two things as well. (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp)
If you have any thoughts on if his allergy is actually to selenium, we would appreciate hearing them.
Posted by: Lori Spangard | June 27, 2007 10:46 PM