Selenium tablets or selenium capsules? Which is better and what’s in it?

Selenium is one of the essential trace elements that our body needs to function normally. However, since the substance cannot be produced in the body, we have to absorb it through the diet or dietary supplements such as selenium tablets and selenium capsules.

With a balanced diet, there are usually enough selenium-containing foods on the plate, so that you do not have to worry about an undersupply. Under certain circumstances, however, it is advisable to resort to selenium supplementation.

If this is the case, you have the choice between selenium tablets or selenium capsules. The search for the right supplement is not always easy, because the selection is large.

In order to take a bit of the agony out of your choice, we have summarized all the important information for you.

Under these circumstances, selenium tablets or selenium capsules are useful

If you eat a varied and healthy diet, you should also be able to cover your selenium needs. The vital trace element is contained in a number of foods:

• Fish and meat (especially liver)
• Eggs
• Nuts (Brazil nuts)
• Certain mushrooms
• Cabbage and onion vegetables

If these things are not regularly found in your diet, for example, because you simply do not like to eat them, a problematic selenium deficiency could set in over time. In this case, supplementation with selenium tablets or selenium capsuleswould make sense.

In addition to personal preference, however, there are also other reasons that can lead to an undersupply of selenium:

• Vegan or vegetarian diet
  As already mentioned, many animal foods are rich in selenium. If you now live vegetarian or vegan, the renunciation of meat, milk & Co can lead to a reduced selenium intake. This is particularly problematic if vegan selenium foods are not regularly on the menu.
• Allergies
  Selenium tablets or selenium capsules can be especially useful if you do not tolerate foods with selenium well. Especially nuts, fish, dairy products or cabbage vegetables cause many people problems with digestion, not to mention dangerous allergies. If you also eat little or no meat, supplementation with selenium may be useful.
• Chronic diseases
  If you suffer from certain diseases, your nutrient intake may be limited. This is especially the case with diseases that affect the metabolism. These include, for example, problems with the intestines, kidneys or thyroid gland.
  But also diseases that weaken the immune system can make substitution with selenium preparations useful. In this case, however, an intake must be clarified with the doctor.

Selenium tablets: what’s in it?

If you suffer from a lack of selenium, you can compensate for this in addition to a change in diet with selenium tablets. This dosage of a nutrient in tablet form is tried and tested, but very few people know what is actually in the small dingers.

So let’s take a closer look at selenium tablets.

In principle, in addition to ingredients containing the desired nutrient, tablets consist of a number of other substances. These are needed so that the tablet retains its shape, is better tolerated, or simply looks good.

The ingredients using the example of commercially available selenium tablets from tetesept,which can be purchased from dm, are divided into fillers and dyes as well as release agents and glazing agents:

Bulking agent: Microcrystalline cellulose, maltodextrin, DL – alpha tocopheryl – acetate, nicotinamide, L – arginine hydrochloride, modified starch

Dye: Titanium dioxide

Anti-caking agents: magnesium salts of fatty acids, talc, oil (vegetable)

Glazing agents: hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, sodium selenite

Do selenium capsules have the same ingredients?

If you compare the selenium tablets from dm with our selenium capsules, there are some similarities. For example, microcrystalline cellulose is used in both products, which is not surprising. Cellulose is an ideal carrier because it is not absorbed by the body.

In addition to the highly available sodium selenite, our selenium complex contains another selenium compound: L-selenomethionine. A selenium-containing amino acid that can be almost completely absorbed in the small intestine due to its particularly high bioavailability.

The ingredients are therefore not always the same. But selenium tablets and selenium capsules have other differences – but more on that later.

Selenium tablets: effect

First, let’s take a look at how exactly selenium supplements work in your body.

Whether tablet or capsule: The absorption of dietary supplements with selenium takes place via the food tract. Some of the ingredients mentioned above are used here. They ensure that the selenium gets to where it can be absorbed by the body: into the intestines.

More specifically, this happens in the duodenum and appendix. Once the selenium is in the blood, it is reduced to hydrogen selenium. From this, your body then takes the selenium and incorporates it into the selenium proteins that are vital for us.

Among other things, we need these for:

• the preservation of hair and nails
• a normal function of the immune system
• normal thyroid function
• the protection of cells from oxidative stress

Tablets or capsules: the difference explained

As mentioned above, you can buy selenium in both capsule and tablet form. But what exactly is the difference and how do you find the right selenium product for you?

In principle, both dosage forms work similarly. The nutrient enters the blood through your digestive tract and is then used by the body.

The decisive difference lies in the transport mechanism:

While selenium in tablet form is exposed to digestion in the stomach, in one capsule it is protected by the capsule shell.

As a rule, several nutrients can be combined in the production of capsules, which is not always possible with one tablet. In order to protect the nutrients in the tablet from the gastric juices, tablets need very specific ingredients that limit the nutrients they contain. This also leads to the fact that capsules are often better tolerated by the stomach than tablets.

So are capsules automatically better?

That depends on the respective product. A shortcoming of capsules, for example, is that the protective capsule shell is often made of animal gelatin. If you live vegan or vegetarian, you should keep your eyes open for appropriately vegan capsules. So you are sure to find the right product for you.

But whether you use selenium tablets or selenium capsules: Dietary supplements are an effective tool to compensate for a deficiency in the body.

So if you suspect that you are not getting enough of a nutrient, your doctor can advise you on supplementation.