Background – Selenium is an essential trace element with well established antioxidant and redox related biological roles. There is increasing evidence relating to its importance in the prevention of chronic disease such as cancer. Objectives – The aims of this study were to estimate the dietary selenium intake of a sample of northern Tasmanian adults; to determine dietary differences between genders and establish the major contributing food groups.
Design – A sample of 69 adults aged 23 -74 yrs, largely from an electoral roll sample, was selected from the northern Tasmanian region, an area hypothesised to be at risk of inadequate selenium intakes due to low soil content. Responses from the 121 item semi-quantitative FFQ, standard serving size data and food content data (ANZFA where possible or USDA) were used to produce dietary selenium intake estimates.
Outcomes – Selenium intakes were not significantly different between genders; men (n=30) consumed 85.9 ± 24.6 μg/day (mean ± SD) while women (n=39) consumed 79.1 ± 26.4 μg/day. Sixty three percent of men and 38% of women had estimated selenium intakes below the Australian RDI (85 μg/day and 70 μg/day respectively). These mean values are higher than countries with established low selenium status such as New Zealand, but are much lower than selenium intakes that have been associated with chemopreventive effects in recent studies. The major contributing food groups for male and female subjects respectively were meat/fish (38% and 41%), cereal based foods (both 24%) and vegetables (9% and 10%).
Conclusion – While the estimated selenium intakes of this sample are sufficient to avoid symptoms of overt deficiency, a large proportion consume less than the Australian RDI and most appear to receive significantly less than what may be considered as an optimum intake. Further investigation on selenium intake of the Tasmanian population is warranted to identify groups that may be most at risk.