Selenium
Minerals & trace elements
A trace element whose content in plants depends entirely on the soil they grew in.
One or two Brazil nuts cover the day. A daily handful, on the other hand, is a genuine excess: it is one of the few nutrients where too much is easy to reach.
Effects and benefits
A trace element plants draw from the soil, and so uneven from region to region: in China, its shortage caused a heart disease, and Finland has added it to its fertilizers since 1984. It contributes to the thyroid, defenses and male fertility, and protects cells.
In the Keshan region of China, with very selenium-poor soils, a disease of the heart muscle struck children and young women; selenium made it recede from the 1970s. Finland, with poor soils too, has enriched its fertilizers with selenium since 1984, and its population's intake doubled (Alfthan et al., 2015).
It contributes to normal thyroid function, to the normal function of the immune system, to normal spermatogenesis, to the maintenance of normal hair and nails and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress (Regulation 432/2012).
EFSA sets the adequate intake at 70 µg a day for an adult, 85 during breastfeeding (EFSA, 2014).
Sources: Alfthan et al., J Trace Elem Med Biol, 2015 · EU Regulation 432/2012 · EFSA, 2014
Where to find it (12)
- African rice
- Black rice
- Brazil nut
- Brown rice
- Button mushroom
- Chia seeds
- Oats
- Red rice
- Rye
- Shiitake
- Sunflower seeds
- Whole wheat