PLANT RESOURCES BASED SELENIUM SUPPLEMENTATION IN DAILY NUTRITION

Selenium is one of the essential elements that has a direct effect on human health and disease. Environmental conditions and agricultural practice have a profound influence on the selenium content in plants. Cultivation of plants enriched with the selenium has an effective potential for selenium supplementation in diets for population which is exposed to selenium deficiency. Bioavailability of selenium compounds from food is in strong correlation with the source and its chemical form. The selenium of different sources and forms can become a part of human consumption when entering the food chain, wherein the inorganic forms of selenium are metabolized and converted to more available organic forms. Numerous results of systematic research of the selenium content in individual plant species as well as various techniques for producing selenium enriched foodstuffs is reviewed. The soil in Slovenia is selenium-poor and may concern a part of population which is potentially sensitive to selenium status. The merits of selenium effect, either alone or in combination with different environmental changes on plant production published by Slovenian authors are thus closely considered. Controversies continue to prevail regarding adequate amounts for selenium for health and disease prevention. Thus, general and individualized recommendations for selenium intake and supplementation in the future need to be cautiously followed and the reference values continually revised.