“Selenium?”Here!
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As a supplement
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Selenium is a trace mineral incorporated into selenoproteins, a group of enzymes involved in antioxidant defense and thyroid hormone metabolism.
Why it’s used
Taken to meet daily selenium requirements and sometimes for its antioxidant role.
What the evidence is for
correcting selenium deficiency.
What the evidence says
NIH ODS describes selenium as essential, with deficiency (rare, mainly seen in specific low-selenium regions) linked to Keshan disease. Large trials testing selenium supplementation for cancer prevention in adequately-nourished populations, notably SELECT, found no benefit and raised a signal for increased type 2 diabetes risk at the doses tested, so claims beyond correcting deficiency are not well supported.
Dose studied
55–400 mcg — adult RDA up to tolerable upper intake level, per NIH ODS.
Context
Adult intake recommendations are set at 55 mcg per day, with a tolerable upper intake level of 400 mcg per day. The SELECT trial used 200 mcg per day of selenomethionine over several years.
Rumors
Correcting selenium deficiency, which rarely causes illness by itself but underlies Keshan disease, a heart-muscle disorder found where the soil is low in selenium.
Supports — suggestivehealth and safety evidence
Studied in: selenium-deficient individuals.
Measured as a biomarker.
- Selenium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (Regulatory) · Funding not checked
How much is a reference amount
- 55 mcg a dayfor adults 19 and over · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 400 mcg a day, from food and supplements together.
Every applicable line is shown because we don’t know which one is yours, and a reference intake is a target for a population, not a threshold for harm.