From the Guidelines
To get selenium from food, incorporate selenium-rich foods like seafood, meats, and grain products into your daily diet, as recommended by the American Cancer Society guidelines 1. The best sources of selenium include seafood, such as tuna, halibut, sardines, and shrimp, as well as meats and grain products.
- Seafood is an excellent source of selenium, with options like tuna, halibut, sardines, and shrimp being rich in this mineral.
- Meats, including organ meats like liver, are also good sources of selenium.
- Grain products, such as whole grains, can provide a significant amount of selenium in the diet. It is essential to note that high-dose selenium supplements are not recommended, as there is only a narrow margin between safe and toxic dosages, with the maximum dose in a supplement not exceeding 200 micrograms per day 1. Aim for about 55 micrograms of selenium daily for adults, which can be achieved through a balanced diet without supplements in most cases. Selenium is crucial for various bodily functions, including thyroid function, antioxidant defense systems, and immune function, and it works by becoming incorporated into proteins called selenoproteins, which help prevent cellular damage and regulate thyroid hormones 1. Cooking methods generally do not significantly reduce selenium content, so you can prepare these foods as you prefer while still obtaining their nutritional benefits.
From the Research
Food Sources of Selenium
- Selenium can be obtained from a well-balanced diet that includes foods from several different regions of the country, as this helps to minimize the risk of selenium deficiency or toxicity 2.
- Food sources of selenium include plants that are able to metabolize and accumulate organic selenium in edible parts, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and sprouts, as well as animal products like meat from animals fed selenium-rich diets 3.
- Selenium-enriched foods, such as selenium-enriched yeast, selenate-based foods, and selenite-based foods, are also available as supplements to increase selenium intake 4.
Biofortification Strategies
- Biofortification strategies have been developed to produce selenium-enriched foods, including the use of organic selenium compounds, which have higher bioactivities and a wider range of safe concentrations than inorganic selenium compounds 5.
- Selenium biofortification of plants can produce selenium-enriched foods that may benefit human health when incorporated into the diet, and feeding animals selenium-rich diets can provide selenium-enriched meat 3.
Dietary Reference Intakes
- The relationship between selenium and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation, cancer, and fertility, is complex and depends on the selenium status of the individual, with a non-linear U-shaped dose-responsive relationship between selenium status and health effects 6.
- Understanding the association between selenium and chronic diseases is essential for guiding clinical practice, developing effective public health policies, and ultimately counteracting health issues associated with selenium deficiency 6.