Brazil Nuts and Bone Health: The Selenium Superfood for Stronger Bones

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Nutrition

Evidence-Based
6 min Read
All-About-Brazil-Nuts

Brazil nuts are the seeds of the Brazil nut tree, native to the Amazon rainforest in South America. These giant trees can grow up to 160 feet tall and produce large nuts that contain remarkable quantities of a hard-to-find mineral.

Brazil nuts have a very high level of the trace mineral selenium. They contain so much of the mineral that one could easily overdose by eating Brazil nuts. However, selenium is also an important mineral for the operation of several bodily systems– including bone remodeling.

In this article, we'll review the nutritional profile and health benefits of Brazil nuts, how to ensure you don't consume too much selenium, and how you can use Brazil nuts to get the ideal amount of selenium for strong and healthy bones.

The Nutritional Profile Of Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are larger compared to other popular nuts and have a nutty, buttery taste. They're commonly sold in rough brown shells, shelled, or blanched, or sometimes as part of mixed nuts.

Brazil nuts are notable for containing a variety of micronutrients and for their unusually high levels of the trace mineral selenium.

A single Brazil nut contains about 96 mcg of selenium– 175% of the recommended daily value (DV).

Brazil nuts are an excellent source of:

One medium-sized Brazil nut weighs approximately 5g. Many nutritional breakdowns of Brazil nuts utilize a standard serving size of 1oz or 28g, but for Brazil nuts, this poses an issue because of their high selenium content.1

Selenium is a trace mineral, meaning your body only needs a small amount of it. Too much selenium is harmful. The recommended daily allowance of selenium is 55 mcg. The upper limit of tolerable selenium intake is 400mcg, after which selenium becomes harmful.

Selenium overdose can cause breathing difficulties, cardiovascular problems, and even kidney failure. To avoid overdosing on selenium you should only eat one or two Brazil nuts a day. If you take a selenium supplement, you shouldn't eat Brazil nuts at all.

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Brazil nuts are an excellent way to get your daily selenium. If you don't eat Brazil nuts, the Save Institute recommends taking 100 mcg of selenium daily.

Most people in North America get plenty of selenium from their diet, as the mineral is found in a variety of different foods, including the following:

*Foundation Food

Synopsis

Brazil nuts contain a variety of micronutrients and a large amount of the trace mineral selenium. A single nut has 175% of the daily value of selenium. It is possible to overdose on selenium. Don't eat more than one or two Brazil nuts per day. If you don't eat Brazil nuts, the Save Institute recommends taking 100mcg per day of selenium.

Health Benefits Of Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts contain micronutrients and polyphenols that provide a variety of benefits. Simply consuming the recommended one or two nuts per day boosts these compounds, conferring the following health benefits:

Healthy Thyroid Function – The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland, located at the base of the neck, secretes hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and body temperature regulation. Thyroid tissue has the highest concentration of selenium in the body, which is utilized for the production of thyroid hormone T3.2

Reducing Inflammation – Selenium is an antioxidant; therefore, it reduces inflammatory oxidative damage. It increases levels of the powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. This action has protective effects throughout the body.

Brain Benefits – Brazil nuts contain ellagic acid, a polyphenol that benefits brain health through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may have protective and antidepressant effects on your brain. Selenium is also brain-potective. Low selenium levels are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.3

Heart Protection – Like other nuts, Brazil nuts contain heart-healthy fatty acids, including polyunsaturated fats. They're also rich in antioxidants, heart-healthy minerals, and fiber. Together, these qualities make Brazil nuts good for heart health. 4

Synopsis

Brazil nuts confer a variety of health benefits: maintaining thyroid function, reducing inflammation, protecting brain health, and protecting heart health.

Brazil Nuts And Bones

Many of the compounds in Brazil nuts are beneficial for bone health, such as the Foundation Supplements zinc, magnesium, and copper.

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Brazil nuts also help protect the bone remodeling process to allow for the production of healthy bone tissue. Selenium plays an important role in bone health. As a result, Brazil nuts can be a powerful part of a bone-healthy diet.

A review published in 2022 in the journal Molecules analyzed studies of selenium's effect on bone tissue. The researchers found that selenium is important for maintaining bone health, especially in the face of osteoporosis.5

“Most observational studies have reported that the level of selenium correlates positively with bone health, as it increases bone mineral density or reduces the risk of osteoporotic fracture.”5

While not all the studies included in the review came to the same conclusion, the researchers proposed that the specific selenium supplements used in those studies could be the reason for the discrepancy.

Obtaining selenium from a food source by eating one or two Brazil nuts daily is an excellent way to make it part of your bone-building diet.

Synopsis

Studies have shown that selenium levels correlate positively with bone health by increasing density and reducing the risk of fractures. This makes Brazil nuts a powerful tool for building strong, healthy bones.

What This Means To You

You can add one or two Brazil nuts to a daily energy-boosting snack, crush them on a salad or a rice dish, or crumble them into an energy ball. Research shows that doing so can support your bone and thyroid health while helping to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage.

To learn more about minerals like selenium, how to include them in your diet, and how they benefit your bones, check out the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. The program dives deep into how your body uses the micronutrients in your diet to support bone health.

Continue expanding your knowledge of bone-building foods and incorporating them into your diet. Each small change is a step toward stronger bones and a healthier future.

References

1 https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1100514/nutrients

2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6178160/

3 https://academic.oup.com/metallomics/article/7/8/1213/6015309?login=false

4 https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBS/12/1/10.2741/S539/htm

5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8780783/

Rebuild Your Bones Naturally—Without Drugs or Side Effects

Stronger, healthier bones are possible—at any age. The Osteoporosis Reversal Program gives you a step-by-step, science-backed plan to naturally rebuild bone health, improve mobility, and regain confidence—100% risk-free with a 1-year, no-questions-asked guarantee.

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