Summary
This paper, published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, reviews the problem of suboptimal selenium intake in the UK population, which is linked to low selenium concentrations in UK soils and a decline in wheat imports from high-selenium regions. It evaluates agronomic biofortification — principally the application of selenium-enriched fertilisers — alongside crop genetic approaches as means of increasing selenium delivery through the food supply. The authors discuss the feasibility, effectiveness, and public health implications of these strategies within a UK dietary and agricultural context.
UK applicability
The paper is directly and specifically applicable to UK conditions, addressing the well-documented decline in UK population selenium status following reduced imports of North American wheat and the inherently low selenium levels of British soils. Findings are relevant to UK agricultural policy, food standards guidance, and agronomy practice.
Key measures
Selenium concentration in grain and other edible tissues (µg/kg or mg/kg); estimated dietary selenium intake (µg/day); soil selenium availability; fertiliser application rates
Outcomes reported
The paper reviews and reports on the selenium content of UK food crops and the potential for agronomic and genetic biofortification strategies to raise selenium concentrations in edible plant tissues. It examines the implications for human dietary selenium intake against UK reference values.
Topic tags
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