Selenium intake with diet in Italy: a pilot study.

Selenium is an element essential to man. The main environmental pathway of Se-exposure for the general population is through food. As is true for all essential elements, not only deficient but also excessive exposure results in adverse health effects. Between these extremes there is a range of safe and adequate Se intakes. In 1980 the Italian National Research Council recommended 50-200 micrograms/day as an interval adequate to meet nutritional requirements, being at the same time below the threshold of toxic effects. Therefore the evaluation of dietary Se intake has become very important. The purpose of this work is the estimation of dietary intakes of Se using data on the amount and composition of an average Italian diet. Complete meals from a factory canteen were analyzed and calculations of weekly intake of Se carried out. Analyses were performed by means of Inductively-coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry. The results obtained, related to the average and indicative food consumption of Italian people, showed that the daily intake is well within the recommended range.