Depletes Selenium. This medication is commonly used for Inflammation
Corticosteroids can increase the urinary loss of selenium elevating the risk for deficient levels. Selenium is a mineral that acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from damage. Studies have shown that rheumatoid arthritis patients taking high doses of corticosteroids tend to have lower selenium levels. This is concerning because low selenium intake is linked to osteoporosis, and selenium has been shown to play a role in bone protection in animal models of corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. Supplementation with selenium should be considered during long term corticosteroid therapy.
Luo Y, Xiang Y, Lu B, Tan X, Li Y, Mao H, Huang Q. Association between dietary selenium intake and the prevalence of osteoporosis and its role in the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. J Orthop Surg Res. 2023 Nov 15;18(1):867. Rock C, Moos PJ. Selenoprotein P regulation by the glucocorticoid receptor. Biometals. 2009 Dec;22(6):995-1009. Peretz A, Neve J, Vertongen F, Famaey JP, Molle L. Selenium status in relation to clinical variables and corticosteroid treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 1987 Dec;14(6):1104-7. PMID: 3437416.
Selenium (as Se-Methyl L-Selenocysteine, L-selenomethionine (yeast free), sodium selenite) — 150 mcg
For someone wondering whether low selenium is “just a lab number,” very low selenium status has been linked in epidemiologic research to a higher risk of cancer over time, especially when blood levels fall below roughly 70 µg/L. In one nested case‑control study, women with serum selenium at or below this level had more than double the overall cancer risk compared with those in the 80–90 µg/L range (odds ratio about 2.6, with confidence intervals that did not cross 1), which fits broader data showing higher cancer rates in clearly deficient populations. At the same time, experts still debate the exact causal role and ideal target range, so the practical takeaway is that identifying and correcting frank selenium deficiency—rather than pushing to very high intakes—may be a sensible strategy for people at risk who want to support long‑term cellular and immune health.
Selenium deficiency is a well‑established cause of dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure in low‑selenium regions, classically described as Keshan disease. In these endemic low‑selenium areas, large supplementation trials with sodium selenite significantly reduced the incidence of Keshan disease, providing strong evidence that inadequate selenium intake is a major causal factor rather than a mere association. Modern case reports in patients on long‑term parenteral nutrition, after bariatric surgery, or on highly restrictive elemental diets describe severe, sometimes rapidly progressive heart failure that improves with selenium repletion, underscoring that selenium‑deficiency cardiomyopathy remains a relevant, treatable diagnosis in contemporary clinical practice.
For an older adult who is feeling “foggy,” forgetful, or mentally slower than they used to be, low selenium status has been linked in several studies to poorer cognitive performance and faster decline compared with peers who have adequate levels. A 2024 trial found that increasing selenium intake improved cognitive test scores only in older adults who already had low baseline cognition, but not in those whose cognition started out normal, suggesting that correcting true deficiency may specifically help a vulnerable subgroup rather than acting as a universal brain booster. Practically, this means that in older people with both low selenium and noticeable cognitive change, assessing status and considering careful selenium repletion may be a reasonable, targeted strategy to support brain function alongside other dementia‑prevention and brain‑health approaches.
For someone living with fatigue, hair loss, weight changes, or that “wired‑but‑tired” feeling of thyroid trouble, low selenium status can quietly worsen thyroid function because selenium‑dependent enzymes help both activate thyroid hormone and protect thyroid tissue from the oxidative stress of making it. Clinical trials in autoimmune thyroiditis using about 200 µg per day of selenium have shown meaningful reductions in thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody levels and, in some studies, better thyroid ultrasound findings and improved day‑to‑day well‑being, even if the impact on long‑term medication requirements is less consistent. Taken together, this suggests that true selenium deficiency can both aggravate hypothyroid symptoms and dial up autoimmune activity in the thyroid, making selenium testing and thoughtfully dosed supplementation a smart conversation point for people with Hashimoto’s or other chronic thyroid disorders who do not feel fully optimized.
Selenium (as L-selenomethionine) by Pure Encapsulations — 200 mcg