Category

• Nutritional supplement, mineral Selenious Acid; Selenium

Description Drug

Selenium supplements are using to prevent or treat selenium deficiency.

The body needs selenium for normal growth and health. Selenium is needed for certain enzymes that help with normal body functions.

Lack of selenium may lead to changes in fingernails, muscle weakness and heart problems.

Selenium deficiency in the United States is rare. Patients receiving total parenteral nutrition - TPN for long periods of time may need selenium. Selenium deficiency is a problem in areas of the world where the soil contains little selenium.

Although selenium is being using to prevent certain types of cancer, there is not enough information to show that this is effective.

Injectable selenium is given by or under the supervision of a health care professional. Other forms of selenium are available without a prescription.

Selenium supplements are available as part of a multivitamin/mineral complex or alone in the following dosage forms:

Oral
• Selenium
  • Tablets - USA and Canada

Parenteral
• Selenious Acid
  • Injection - USA

Importance of Diet

Selenium is found in seafood, liver, lean red meat and grains grown in soil that is rich in selenium.

The daily amount of selenium needed is defined in few various ways.

For USA
• Recommended Dietary Allowances - RDAs are the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to provide for adequate nutrition in most healthy people. RDAs for a given nutrient may vary depending on a person's age, sex and physical condition - pregnancy.
• Daily Values - DVs are using on food and dietary supplement labels to indicate the percent of the recommended daily amount of each nutrient that a serving provides. DV replaces the previous designation of United States Recommended Daily Allowances - USRDAs.

For Canada
• Recommended Nutrient Intakes - RNIs are using to determine the amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein needed to provide adequate nutrition and lessen the risk of chronic disease.

Normal daily recommended intakes for selenium are generally defined as follows:

• Infants and children
  • Birth to 3 years of age: 10 to 20 micrograms - mcg per day.
  • 4 to 6 years of age: 20 mcg per day.
  • 7 to 10 years of age: 30 mcg per day.
• Adolescent and adult males 40 to 70 mcg per day.
• Adolescent and adult females 45 to 55 mcg per day.
• Pregnant females 65 mcg per day.
• Breast-feeding females 75 mcg per day.

Brand Names

Some commonly using brand names are:

In the USA

• Sele-Pak
• Selepen

For quick reference, the following selenium supplements are numbered to match the corresponding brand names.