EURRECA—Estimating Selenium Requirements for Deriving Dietary Reference Values

Abstract

Current reference values for selenium, an essential micronutrient, are based on the intake of selenium that is required to achieve maximal glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma or erythrocytes. In order to assess the evidence of relevance to setting dietary reference values for selenium, the EURRECA Network of Excellence focused on systematic searches, review, and evaluation of (i) selenium status biomarkers and evidence for relationships between intake and status biomarkers, (ii) selenium and health (including the effect of intake and/or status biomarkers on cancer risk, immune function, HIV, cognition, and fertility), (iii) bioavailability of selenium from the diet, and (iv) impact of genotype/single nucleotide polymorphisms on status or health outcomes associated with selenium. The main research outputs for selenium and future research priorities are discussed further in this review.

Keywords:

• Selenium
• nutrition
• dietary reference values
• selenoprotein P
• glutathione peroxidase
• plasma selenium
• serum selenium
• requirements

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We thank Professor Roger Sunde and Professor John Hesketh for helpful discussions during EURRECA workshops on micronutrient biomarkers of status and during the workshop in Leiden, Netherlands. We also thank Professor Larry Parnell for helpful discussions during the design stage of the polymorphism database. The preparation of this manuscript was coordinated by Rachel Collings from the University of East Anglia and copy-editing by EUFIC.

This review was carried out with partial financial support from the Commission of the European Communities, specific RTD Programme “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources,” within the 6th Framework Programme (Contract No. FP6-036196-2 EURRECA: EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned). This review does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission and in no way anticipates the future policy in this area.