Dietary Reference Intakes of Selenium for Chinese Residents

The plasma selenoprotein P (SELENOP) concentration leveling out was thought to represent saturation of the functional selenium body pool and an appropriate supply of selenium to all tissues, indicating that the necessary amount of selenium had been supplied. Based on the selenium intake when SELENOP reaches saturation, the estimated average requirement of selenium was set as 50 μg/d, and the recommended nutrient intake was 60 μg/d for Chinese general population. According to a recent study, "lactating Chinese women with the optimal daily selenium intake" was defined, and the adequate intake of 0‒6-mo-old infants was set as 15 μg/d, whereas 20 μg/d was calculated for 7‒12 mo old infants. Considering the negative health effects of intake of excessive nutrient levels of selenium, we recommend reducing the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for adults from 400 to 255 μg/d based on the results of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). The SELECT trial is a key basis for setting selenium's UL. It has a large sample size and long-term design. It rigorously measures selenium intake and monitors multiple health endpoints precisely. Also, with proper control groups, it effectively determines the threshold of adverse effects, enhancing the reliability of UL determination.