EURRECA—Estimating Selenium Requirements for Deriving Dietary Reference Values

Abstract

Current reference values for selenium, an essential micronutrient, are based on the intake of selenium that is required to achieve maximal glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma or erythrocytes. In order to assess the evidence of relevance to setting dietary reference values for selenium, the EURRECA Network of Excellence focused on systematic searches, review, and evaluation of (i) selenium status biomarkers and evidence for relationships between intake and status biomarkers, (ii) selenium and health (including the effect of intake and/or status biomarkers on cancer risk, immune function, HIV, cognition, and fertility), (iii) bioavailability of selenium from the diet, and (iv) impact of genotype/single nucleotide polymorphisms on status or health outcomes associated with selenium. The main research outputs for selenium and future research priorities are discussed further in this review.

EURRECA—Evidence-Based Methodology for Deriving Micronutrient Recommendations

“…An example of a metabolomics approach to assess micronutrient related health status is described in the micronutrient specific sections on selenium (Hurst et al, 2013). There is a well-established need to develop improved biomarkers of status for many micronutrients, and the EURRECA network embraced network biology and nutrigenomic technologies in an attempt to progress the development of novel approaches that will ultimately facilitate the derivation of more accurate and specific dietary requirements and recommendations.…”

“…Micronutrient-specific results of the systematic reviews can be found elsewhere in this issue (Cashman and Kiely, 2013;Hoey et al, 2013;Hurst et al, 2013;Lowe et al, 2013;Ristic-Medic et al, 2013). The quantitative methodology underlying these reviews is explained and illustrated in Activities 5, 6 and 7.…”

“…Using a similar systematic review methodology to that described above, specifically designed search strategies were tailored for each micronutrient followed by screening and data extraction. Details on the results of the systematic reviews and meta-analysis can be found elsewhere in this issue (Cashman and Kiely, 2013;Hoey et al, 2013;Hurst et al, 2013;Lowe et al, 2013;Ristic-Medic et al, 2013). Further details on the methodological approach to summarising and interpreting the data, and integrating the evidence can be found in Activities 5 and 6 respectively.…”

“…The criteria for judging these indicators were adapted from the Cochrane Handbook (Higgins and Green, 2008 Claessens et al, 2013). Details on the results of the systematic reviews and meta-analysis on specific micronutrients can be found elsewhere in this issue (Cashman and Kiely, 2013;Hoey et al, 2013;Hurst et al, 2013;Lowe et al, 2013;RisticMedic et al, 2013). Further details on the methodological approach to summarising and interpreting the data, and integrating the evidence can be found in Activities 5 and 6 respectively.…”

“…Potentially relevant articles were screened and identified in accordance with the process described above. Data from relevant papers were extracted into a tailored database (Claessens et al, 2013) , zinc (Lowe et al, 2013), selenium (Hurst et al, 2013) and folate (Hoey et al, 2013). To date, due to the lack of relevant data, no information related to SNPs have been used in the derivation of DRVs.…”