What is Selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace element that occurs naturally in the soil and in certain foods. Brazil nuts, fish and shellfish are good sources of selenium, but it can also be found in other foods such as whole grains, eggs, meat and dairy products. The amount of selenium in foods depends on the amount of selenium in the soil in which they are grown or produced.

What is selenium good for?

Selenium is important for health because of the many roles it plays in the body. Selenium is essential for healthy immune and thyroid function. It is also an antioxidant that protects against free radical damage and helps maintain healthy hair and nails. In addition, selenium can play an important role in male fertility.

What is Selenium Methionine?

Selenium ethionine is a form of selenium that is better absorbed and used by the body than other forms of selenium supplements. This is because selenium ethionine is formed by the binding of selenium to the amino acid methionine, increasing its bioavailability and absorption in the body. Selenium methionine is therefore an effective way to increase the daily intake of selenium.

Selenium Select®

Selenium Select® is a bioavailable and safe form of selenium supplementation. Research on the market has shown that so-called "selenium methionine" is being offered, which does not actually correspond to the raw material approved by the ESFA in its scientific opinion of May 2009.

The misleading products offered as selenium methionine are mixtures of methionine with inorganic selenium such as sodium selenite. Selenium from sodium selenite causes high concentrations in the intestine after ingestion, while the selenium that enters through the molecule is released slowly, as the ESFA has also motivated.

Warning

Although selenium is essential for health, too much selenium can be harmful. It is therefore important to respect the recommended daily amount and not to take too many selenium supplements without medical advice.