Nutrition 101: Selenium | Food List

Selenium is a trace mineral that functions as an antioxidant in the body. It also helps the thyroid and immune system to function properly and may help protect again some cancers.

Recomme​​nded Intake

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for selenium are shown below:

What Does ​Selenium Do?

Selenium helps prevent oxidative stress by working as an antioxidant to fight damaging particles in the body called free radicals. To accomplish this, selenium works together with a group of nutrients including Vitamin E, Vitamin C, glutathione, and niacin. Free radicals can damage cell membranes and DNA, and may contribute to aging and a number of conditions, including cancer.

Selenium plays an important role in thyroid function³ and immune system function⁴. Selenium is an essential mineral for maintaining proper function of the thyroid gland. Selenium is not only essential for the thyroid to produce the most active form of its hormone (called T3), but also helps regulate the amount of hormone produced.

Selenium may help protect against the development of some types of cancers⁵, but this is still being studied. Selenium has been shown to induce DNA synthesis⁶ and repair damaged cells, thus inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. Additionally, selenium is a component of many proteins, including glutathione peroxidase⁷, which is particularly important for cancer protection.

Top Selenium-Rich Foods

Selenium is present in soil; therefore, the amount of selenium in foods varies greatly depending on where the animal was raised or where the plant was grown. Brazil nuts are the most highly concentrated source of selenium. Meat, chicken, seafood, fish, eggs, grains, garlic, and mushrooms are also good sources of selenium.

Nutrition Facts Label and t​he % Daily Value

In the United States: The % daily value gives you an idea of how much selenium is in the food you eat. The daily value for selenium is 55 mcg⁸. The number you see on the Nutrition Facts label is a percentage calculated by dividing the amount of selenium in one serving of the food by the DV. Using an example from the above table, 3 ounces of cooked halibut containing 47 mcg of selenium would have 85% of the DV for selenium. The FDA does not require that the % daily value for selenium be listed on the Nutrition Facts label.

In Canada: The daily value for selenium is 55 mcg⁹. Using the same example as above, 3 ounces of cooked halibut containing 47 mcg of selenium would have 85% of the DV for selenium. Listing the daily value for selenium on the Nutrition Facts label is optional.

Nutrient Interactions

Iron and copper: Iron and/or copper deficiency may increase the risk for selenium deficiency

Sources

HealthCastle has strict sourcing guidelines. We reference peer-reviewed studies, scientific journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. 

1. Institute of Medicine. 2000. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9810 . ↩︎
2. Table J-9. Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for Vitamin E.” Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin E, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies Press, 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545442/table/appJ_tab9/ ↩︎
3. Ventura, Mara et al. “Selenium and Thyroid Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment.” International journal of endocrinology vol. 2017 (2017): 1297658. doi:10.1155/2017/1297658 ↩︎
4. Arthur, John R., et al. “Selenium in the Immune System.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 133, no. 5, 2003, pp. 1457S–1459S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.5.1457S. ↩︎
5. Vinceti, Marco et al. “Selenium for preventing cancer.” The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 1,1 CD005195. 29 Jan. 2018, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005195.pub4 ↩︎
6. Russell, G R et al. “Induction of DNA repair by some selenium compounds.” Cancer letters vol. 10,1 (1980): 75-81. doi:10.1016/0304-3835(80)90068-3 ↩︎
7. Nogales, Fátima et al. “Role of selenium and glutathione peroxidase on development, growth, and oxidative balance in rat offspring.” Reproduction (Cambridge, England) vol. 146,6 659-67. 29 Oct. 2013, doi:10.1530/REP-13-0267 ↩︎
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” FDA, 6 Feb. 2024, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels. ↩︎
9. Health Canada. “Table of Daily Values.” Government of Canada, 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/technical-documents-labelling-requirements/table-daily-values.html. ↩︎