[Common values of serum selenium in a population in Eastern France]

Eastern France is a low selenium area. Livestock grazing on this soil had low selenium concentration. In human adults, the serum selenium levels were 0.91 +/- 0.14 mumol/l (n = 125) lower than in other european countries except Finland and Greece. However, no adult had serum concentration less than 0.57 mumol/l, a value under which the risk of death from ischemic heart disease or from cancer seem be increased. In infants, serum selenium contents were low, they increased progressively and reached adult levels at about 4 years in our study. In elderly subjects above 70 years old, serum selenium values were significantly (p less than 0.0001) below those of adults (0.83 +/- 0.17 mumol/l). The selenium values diminished when age increases in this population. 4.5 per cent of these subjects had a level under 0.57 mumol/l.