Tag: Selenium status

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Selenium Status and Mortality

How does selenium status relate to mortality?

Higher biomarker levels of selenium status correlate significantly with lower mortality rates. This is the conclusion of a 2025 meta-analysis of 20 cohort studies. Importantly, the central finding in the meta-analysis was a consistent inverse association between selenium status and mortality [Cui, Schomburg et al 2025].

Prof Urban Alehagen, cardiologist and selenium researcher
The KiSel-10 study results show that selenium is incorporated into selenoproteins that are involved in antioxidant defense, cellular protection, immune function, redox regulation, and thyroid hormone metabolism. Consequently, low selenium status can impair several biological systems. This is the mechanism by which poor selenium status contributes to increased mortality risk.

Basically, one standard deviation increase in selenium status corresponded to the following reduction in mortality:

  • 13% lower all-cause mortality
  • 11% lower cardiovascular mortality
  • 15% lower cancer mortality

Moreover, Cui et al found low serum Selenoprotein P (SELENOP) concentrations associated with an increased risk of stroke in subjects free of cardiovascular disease and with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality among heart disease patients. The association of SELENOP concentrations with cardiovascular disease  incidence was restricted to patients with hypertension or diabetes [Cui 2025]. read more

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Selenium and Human Health

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.
Younger woman with elderly woman
Good health in our senior years depends in part on sufficient selenium intake and status. Selenium is an essential trace element.

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]. read more