Why do some states in the Midwest, (for example, Ohio) have selenium deficient soil?

Question

Is it because of the prehistoric glacier activity? Do people that live there experience selenium deficientcy even though the U.S. has a national food market so most of the food they eat may not be grown in selenium deficient soil? My friend takes selenium supplements and is recommending them because we live in Ohio.

Answer 1

I would not worry about this too much. taking supplements can be harmful too http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/ds/dsSelenium.php. The deficiency is not nearly as bad as places like China. I did not find any information of the deficiency was caused by glacial activity, but the reason is geological. selenium is not evenly distributed throughout the Earth's Crust. There really has not been too many evidence to cancers and other deseases due to selenium defciency in Ohio or other parts of the midwest. if you feel you take selenium supplements the by all means but first you should talk to your doctor to find your right dose, all body chemistries are different. here is a list of the usual daily required intake of selenium mg.
0 - 6 months 45 mg
7 - 12 months 60 mg
1-3 y 90 mg
4-8 y 150 mg
9-13 y 280 mg
14-18 y 400 mg
19 y + 400 mg

you should also take weight and body mass into consideration so you should talk to your doctor to find your correct dose.


http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/min_selenium.html not too wordy like the other research ive done on this matter, if you want to read into it.

Answer 2

that's weird, because selenium is chemically related to sulfur, and there's lots of sulfur from the coal mines in OH WV and PA and also has to do with steel.

"In 1996, continuing research showed a positive correlation between selenium supplementation and cancer prevention in humans" (from wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium
"Although it is toxic in large doses, selenium is an essential micronutrient for animals. In plants, it occurs as a bystander mineral, sometimes in toxic proportions in forage (some plants may accumulate selenium as a defense against being eaten by animals, but other plants such as locoweed require selenium, and their growth indicates the presence of selenium in soil)." In humans, selenium is a trace element nutrient which functions as cofactor for reduction of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidases and thioredoxin reductase. It also plays a role in the functioning of the thyroid gland by participating as a cofactor for thyroid hormone deiodinases [4]. Dietary selenium comes from nuts, cereals, meat, fish, and eggs....the recommended dietary allowance for adults is 55 micrograms per day....Although selenium is an essential trace element it is toxic if taken in excess....Selenium deficiency is relatively rare in healthy well-nourished individuals....(then it talks about diseases that come from lack of selenium) These diseases are most common in certain parts of China where the soil is extremely deficient in selenium"

From reading all that, I don't know that the Midwest has selenium deficient soil.