We humans need an adequate dietary supply of selenium. Like iron and iodine, our bodies need this essential trace element in sufficient amounts from food for normal physiological functioning.
Guest author Prof. Jan Alexander, MD PhD, specialist in occupational medicine, professor and former specialist director at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
The content of selenium in food varies according to the selenium content of the soil in any particular region [Stoffaneller & Morse 2015]. Unfortunately, in most areas of the Nordic and Baltic countries, the soil is poor in selenium. Accordingly, the local crops and fruits tend to have low selenium content. An exception is Finland, which enriches soil fertilizers with selenium. Import of wheat from regions with high contents of selenium in the soil has earlier been an important source of selenium in Norway [Alexander & Olsen 2023]. read more
Selenium and selenoproteins are essential to human health [Rayman 2012]. However, selenium intakes from food vary considerably from region to region in the world, depending on how rich or poor the soil and the foodstuffs are.
Professor Urban Alehagen realized that the low selenium content of the soil in Sweden and in much of Europe results in wide-spread low dietary selenium intake and selenium deficiency. In the Swedish KiSel-10 Study, the average serum selenium concentration was a quite low 67 mcg/L.
For example, widespread suboptimal selenium status has been reported throughout Europe, the UK, and the Middle East [Stoffaneller & Morse 2015]. In contrast, the soil and the foodstuffs in much of the United States and Canada have a much higher selenium content than is the case in Europe. Serum selenium levels of US citizens are generally above 120 mcg/L. In many European countries, the corresponding serum selenium levels are 90 mcg/L on average [Alehagen 2016].
The best estimate for serum selenium status that is sufficient for good health is around 125 mcg/L [Winther 2020, fig. 3].
Serum selenium levels below 70 mcg/L are indicative of selenium deficiency [Bomer 2020].
Serum selenium levels below 100 mcg/L are indicative of sub-optimal selenium status [Al-Mubarak 2021].
Selenoprotein P as the Major Selenium Transport Protein
Dietary selenium is incorporated into the amino acid selenocysteine, which becomes an integral component of 25 selenoproteins. The best known selenoproteins are the glutathione peroxidases, thioredoxin reductases, and iodothyronine deiodinases [Schomburg 2019].read more
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.