TY - JOUR
T1 - Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for selenium
AU - Turck, Dominique
AU - Bohn, Torsten
AU - Castenmiller, Jacqueline
AU - de Henauw, Stefaan
AU - Hirsch-Ernst, Karen-Ildico
AU - Knutsen, Helle Katrine
AU - Maciuk, Alexandre
AU - Mangelsdorf, Inge
AU - McArdle, Harry J
AU - Peláez, Carmen
AU - Pentieva, Kristina
AU - Siani, Alfonso
AU - Thies, Frank
AU - Tsabouri, Sophia
AU - Vinceti, Marco
AU - Aggett, Peter
AU - Crous Bou, Marta
AU - Cubadda, Francesco
AU - Ciccolallo, Laura
AU - de Sesmaisons Lecarré, Agnès
AU - Fabiani, Lucia
AU - Titz, Ariane
AU - Naska, Androniki
AU - EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA)
N1 - © 2023 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KgaA on behalf of the European Food Safety Authority.
PY - 2023/1/23
Y1 - 2023/1/23
N2 - Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for selenium. Systematic reviews of the literature were conducted to identify evidence regarding excess selenium intake and clinical effects and potential biomarkers of effect, risk of chronic diseases and impaired neuropsychological development in humans. Alopecia, as an early observable feature and a well-established adverse effect of excess selenium exposure, is selected as the critical endpoint on which to base a UL for selenium. A lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level (LOAEL) of 330 μg/day is identified from a large randomised controlled trial in humans (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT)), to which an uncertainty factor of 1.3 is applied. A UL of 255 μg/day is established for adult men and women (including pregnant and lactating women). ULs for children are derived from the UL for adults using allometric scaling (body weight
0.75). Based on available intake data, adult consumers are unlikely to exceed the UL, except for regular users of food supplements containing high daily doses of selenium or regular consumers of Brazil nuts. No risk has been reported with the current levels of selenium intake in European countries from food (excluding food supplements) in toddlers and children, and selenium intake arising from the natural content of foods does not raise reasons for concern. Selenium-containing supplements in toddlers and children should be used with caution, based on individual needs.
AB - Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for selenium. Systematic reviews of the literature were conducted to identify evidence regarding excess selenium intake and clinical effects and potential biomarkers of effect, risk of chronic diseases and impaired neuropsychological development in humans. Alopecia, as an early observable feature and a well-established adverse effect of excess selenium exposure, is selected as the critical endpoint on which to base a UL for selenium. A lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level (LOAEL) of 330 μg/day is identified from a large randomised controlled trial in humans (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT)), to which an uncertainty factor of 1.3 is applied. A UL of 255 μg/day is established for adult men and women (including pregnant and lactating women). ULs for children are derived from the UL for adults using allometric scaling (body weight
0.75). Based on available intake data, adult consumers are unlikely to exceed the UL, except for regular users of food supplements containing high daily doses of selenium or regular consumers of Brazil nuts. No risk has been reported with the current levels of selenium intake in European countries from food (excluding food supplements) in toddlers and children, and selenium intake arising from the natural content of foods does not raise reasons for concern. Selenium-containing supplements in toddlers and children should be used with caution, based on individual needs.
U2 - 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7704
DO - 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7704
M3 - Article
C2 - 36698500
SN - 1831-4732
VL - 21
JO - EFSA Journal
JF - EFSA Journal
IS - 1
M1 - e07704
ER -