Selenium in global food systems

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 85; no. 5; pp. 517 - 547
• Main Author: Combs, Gerald F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-05-2001
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Availability; Cancer; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomyopathies - etiology; Cardiomyopathies - prevention & control; Cardiomyopathy; Cartilage Diseases - etiology; Chemoprevention; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Enzymes; Food; Food Supply; Food systems; Foods and miscellaneous; Global Health; Health problems; Health risks; Heart; Humans; Medical sciences; Metabolism; Metabolites; Myocarditis. Cardiomyopathies; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Nutrition; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Nutritional Status; Oxidative stress; Plasma; Proteins; Review article; Selenium; Selenium - administration & dosage; Selenium - deficiency; Selenium - metabolism; Soil; Trace elements; Transfer RNA; Tumors; Vitamin E; New Zealand; Denmark; Canada; United States > US; China; Finland; Selenium; Cardiomyopathy; Food systems; Chemoprevention; Cancer; Human; Review; Malignant tumor; Antioxidant; Inorganic element; Feeding; Micronutrient; Prevention; Trace element; Animal; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1079/BJN2000280

Food systems need to produce enough of the essential trace element Se to provide regular adult intakes of at least 40 μg/d to support the maximal expression of the Se enzymes, and perhaps as much as 300 μg/d to reduce risks of cancer. Deprivation of Se is associated with impairments in antioxidant protection, redox regulation and energy production as consequences of suboptimal expression of one or more of the Se-containing enzymes. These impairments may not cause deficiency signs in the classical sense, but instead contribute to health problems caused by physiological and environmental oxidative stresses and infections. At the same time, supranutritional intakes of Se, i.e. intakes greater than those required for selenocysteine enzyme expression, appear to reduce cancer risk. The lower, nutritional, level is greater than the typical intakes of many people in several parts of the world, and few populations have intakes approaching the latter, supranutritional, level. Accordingly, low Se status is likely to contribute to morbidity and mortality due to infectious as well as chronic diseases, and increasing Se intakes in all parts of the world can be expected to reduce cancer rates.