[Selenium as an essential and deficient factor in the nutrition of Russian population].

The paper presents summarized data on the metabolism of selenium and approaches to justifying physiological requirements for this micronutrient. The studies dealing with the levels of selenium in different foodstuffs have indicated that they are lower in the foods made in Russia than in those made in foreign countries, which leads to its insufficient dietary intake in Russia's population, in poor ecological regions in particular. Experimental studies have revealed that organic selenium compounds exert a beneficial effect on the metabolism of priority food pollutants, such as mycotoxins and N-nitrosoamines.