Selenium bioavailability with reference to human nutrition.

Various aspects of selenium metabolism and nutrition in relation to the question of selenium bioavailability in foods and the diet of man are reviewed. Few published studies exist on selenium metabolism in human subjects, particularly those representative of healthy individuals in the United States. Animal studies reveal that various factors, including the source and chemical form of selenium in foods and feeds, influence selenium bioavailability. However, the quantitative significance of animal assay data for human nutrition is not known. The limited number of published studies in man suggest that the metabolic fate and physiological function of dietary selenite may differ from that of selenomethionine or of food selenium. However, much additional research will be required to establish an adequate picture of the significance of dietary selenium bioavailability in human nutrition and health. Based on initial human experiments carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, use of stable isotopes of selenium offers promising opportunities for closing the gap of knowledge that now exists concerning the role and significance of factors that determine how the selenium present in foods is used to meet the physiological requirements of the consumer.