EFSA raises selenite triglyceride safety concerns in supplements
24 Jun 2020 --- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)’s latest scientific opinion flags the safety of selenite triglyceride in dietary supplements. Its findings revealed that this lipophilic organic compound of selenium, proposed as a novel food (NF) supplement ingredient, provides selenium in an “unknown form.” Moreover, the bioavailability of the NF selenium form is not determinable. The EFSA panel therefore concluded that the NF is to be treated as a “xenobiotic with unknown properties in the body.”
“From the data provided to characterize the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of the NF, it cannot be established in which chemical form selenium is systemically available and if it can enter the functional selenium body pool to full selenium physiological functions,” the scientific opinion abstract reads.
The selenium NF researched in the opinion was brought before the EFSA by an anonymous applicant. The NF intended to be commercialized as Selol 5%, a synthetic product obtained by the reaction between oxidized sunflower oil and selenous acid, which consists of a mixture of selenite triglycerides. The NF proposed to be placed on the market contains approximately 50 mg selenium per ml.
The production process itself does not raise safety concerns, the EFSA opinion highlights. However, the information provided on the composition of the NF does not allow a complete characterization of the product.
The research also indicates that this form of selenium may have lower bioavailability compared to sodium selenite. NutritionInsight recently reported how bioavailability is crucial for success in the increasingly crowded nutraceutical space. The EFSA panel also notes that there seems to be a difference in distribution of selenium to the kidneys when compared to sodium selenite.
Selenium for immune health
The EFSA opinion details that selenium rarely occurs in nature in its elemental state. Rather, it forms several water-soluble inorganic and organic compounds. Selenate is the most common inorganic form of selenium found in water and in some foods, such as seafood, legumes and dry fruit. Organic selenium species are predominant in other foods such as beef and poultry. The Scientific Committee on Food determined a tolerable upper intake level of 300 µg per day for adults, including pregnant and lactating women, in 2000.
Too much selenium can exert toxic effects on the body, but a deficiency can impact the cardiovascular system’s functioning. Therefore, industry has made further strides to ensure consumers can have safe access to sufficient selenium intake.
Selenium has also been increasingly spotlighted within the rapidly popular immunity space, as evidenced by a correlation found between low selenium levels and COVID-19 death rates in China.
Edited by Anni Schleicher
