Brazil nuts and hypothyroidism

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Brazil nuts and hypothyroidism

Postby Langeranger » Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:10 pm

Brazil nuts are loaded with Selenium which prompted me to wonder if a person with “mild hypothyroidism might avoid levothyroxin by eating a Brazil nut daily?
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Re: Brazil nuts and hypothyroidism

Postby JeffN » Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:29 pm

Langeranger wrote:Brazil nuts are loaded with Selenium which prompted me to wonder if a person with “mild hypothyroidism might avoid levothyroxin by eating a Brazil nut daily?


I would recommend against Brazil nuts for several reasons. First, they are on of the nuts higher in saturated fat, at about 22%. Second, their level of selenium can vary greatly and small amounts can have high levels. On average, a single Brazil nut can have almost 2x the RDA.

"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.(5)".

Carol L. Secor, Donald J. Lisk. Variation In The selenium Content of Individual brazil Nuts. Journal of Food Safety Volume 9, Issue 4, pages 279–281, January 1989


Third, there are other health concerns.

J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Jan;24(1):3-6. doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0159. Epub
2017 Aug 14.
Commentary: Health Concerns of Brazil Nut Consumption.
Mazokopakis EE(1), Liontiris MI(1).

Brazil nuts are the fruit of the enormous tropical tree Bertholletia excelsa that are produced in and exported from the territory of the Amazon. As a natural rich source of selenium (Se), the consumption of Brazil nuts is often suggested as therapeutic among patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. In this review, the current knowledge regarding the main health concerns of Brazil nut consumption, such as Se toxicity, Se-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus, weight gain, radioactivity, aflatoxins, and allergic reactions, is presented and discussed.

DOI: 10.1089/acm.2017.0159
PMID: 28805450 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

“Brazil nut consumption could pose some risk if the daily Se intake from this source is much higher than the recommended amount. According to research, intake of *330mg of Se per day could be toxic not only for growth hormones and insulin-like growth factor 1 metabolism but also in the synthesis of thyroid hormones.18,19 Possible major side-effects include nail and hair loss, anorexia, diarrhea, depression, hemorrhage, liver and kidney necrosis, blindness, ataxia, and respiratory disturbances.18 There have also been instances of dermatitis and central nervous system disorders in an area with high Se content in Enshi, China.24 These signs and symptoms of Se toxicity are known as selenosis. An Se intake of 50–400mg/d is considered a safe range for adults, while 850–900mg could be allowed as minimum for Se toxicity.10 Evidently, the high Se content variation in Brazil nuts that depends on the soil of the nut tree origins increases the likelihood of Se toxicity, regardless of the quantity of nuts consumed.”
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Re: Brazil nuts and hypothyroidism

Postby ChuckPDX » Fri Oct 01, 2021 12:20 pm

What is your view about this 2016 article (Michael Greger, Nutrition Facts) that just 4 brazil nuts per month significantly lowers LDL for 30+ days, and that this small amount has very little toxicity concern:
https://nutritionfacts.org/2016/03/24/f ... e-a-month/
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