Medical experts have linked cases of sudden hair loss affecting 279 people in Maharashtra's Buldhana district to high selenium content found in wheat supplied through local ration shops from Punjab and Haryana.
About Selenium:
It is a mineral found in the soil and naturally appears in water and some foods.
Soil and ground water contain inorganic forms of selenium that plants accumulate and convert to organic forms, mostly selenomethionine and selenocysteine and their methylated derivatives.
Selenium is a constituent of 25 selenoproteins, including thioredoxin reductases, glutathione peroxidases, and selenoprotein P.
Selenoproteins play critical roles in thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, reproduction, and protection from oxidative damage and infection.
Human body cannot produce selenium on its own but needs only a small amount of it.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of selenium for adult men and women 19+ years of age is 55 micrograms daily. Women who are pregnant and lactating need about 60 and 70 micrograms daily, respectively.
Food Sources of selenium: Protein rich foods from animals are generally good sources of selenium. Seafoods, organ meats, and Brazil nuts are the foods highest in selenium.
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