Effectiveness of selenium supplements in a low-selenium area of China.

Study answer

What this study found

Supplementation improved selenium biomarkers, but L-selenomethionine was more bioavailable and required a lower dose than sodium selenite to maximize glutathione peroxidase. Full expression of glutathione peroxidase was achieved with 37 micrograms Se/day as selenomethionine and with 66 micrograms Se/day as selenite, while selenoprotein P never reached full expression at the highest dose of either form. The highest average plasma selenium concentration reached 88 micrograms Se/L with selenomethionine versus 52 micrograms Se/L with selenite, and the highest average selenoprotein P…

Study & population

Randomized placebo-controlled study in healthy adult men and women aged 18 years or older living in a selenium-deficient area of Mianning County, Sichuan Province, China.

Intervention

This was a dose-ranging oral selenium tablet trial with two active forms: L-selenomethionine and sodium selenite.

Key limitation

Small dose-group size, with 10 participants assigned to each active selenium group, limits precision.

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Original abstract