What is the importance of selenium to human health? Selenium is an essential trace element. That selenium is essential to our health means two things:
- Our bodies cannot synthesize selenium for us. We must get it from our diets.
- Our bodies need selenium for physiological functions such as growth, metabolism, and reproduction.
How does selenium work in the body? Primarily, elemental selenium works as a component of selenoproteins – proteins that contain selenium. These selenoproteins have important biological functions in the human body, e.g., antioxidant defense, immune function, thyroid hormone metabolism, etc [Alexander & Olsen 2023].
What are the Recommended Daily Intake Levels for Adults?
The 2023 Nordic Nutrition Recommendations established Adequate Intake levels as follows [Blomhoff et al 2023]:
- Women: 75 mcg/day
- Men: 90 mcg/day
Who is Likely to Have Low Selenium Intakes?
The human intake of selenium varies considerably from region to region in the world. The selenium intake depends upon the selenium content of the soil and the crops in the region. For example, soil selenium is low in most area in the Nordic and the Baltic countries. The average intake of selenium in these countries, except Finland, is likely to be below recommended intake levels [Blomhoff et al 2023].