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Selenium: does selenium status have health outcomes beyond overt deficiency?

Lynne A Daniels
Med J Aust 2004; 180 (8): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb05986.x
Published online: 19 April 2004

Possible protection against cancer and improved immune function make supplementation with selenium attractive, but its toxicity and other unknown effects urge caution


  • Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA.


Correspondence: 

  • 1. Daniels LA. Selenium metabolism and bioavailability. Biol Trace Elem Res 1996; 54; 185-199.
  • 2. Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and carotenoids. Washington DC: National Academy Press, 2000.
  • 3. Rayman MP. The importance of selenium to human health. Lancet 2000; 356: 233-241.
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  • 6. Daniels LA, Gibson RA, Simmer KN. Indicators of selenium status in Australian infants. J Paed Child Health 2000; 36: 370-374.
  • 7. National Health and Medical Research Council. NHMRC recommended dietary intakes for use in Australia 1991. Canberra: AGPS, 1991.
  • 8. Duffield AJ, Thomson CD. A comparison of methods of assessment of dietary selenium intakes in Otago, New Zealand. Br J Nutr 1999; 82: 131-138.
  • 9. Thomson CD, Robinson MF. The changing selenium status of New Zealand residents. Eur J Clin Nutr 1996; 50: 107-114.
  • 10. Duffield-Lillico AJ, Reid ME, Turnbull BW, et al. Baseline characteristics and the effect of selenium supplementation on cancer incidence in a randomized clinical trial: a summary report of the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002; 11: 630-639.
  • 11. Neve J. Human selenium supplementation as assessed by changes in blood selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity. J Trace Elem Med Biol 1995; 9: 65-73.
  • 12. Lyons GH, Judson JG, James CR, et al. Trends in selenium status of South Australians. Med J Aust 2004; 180: 383-386.<eMJA full text>
  • 13. Forceville X, Vitoux D, Gauzit R, et al. Selenium, systemic immune response syndrome, sepsis, and outcome in critically ill patients. Crit Care Med 1998; 26: 1536-1544.
  • 14. Beck MA. Selenium and host defence towards viruses. Proc Nutr Soc 1999; 58: 707-711.

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