Se Supplementation of Fertilizers Has Increased the Se Intake and Serum-Se Concentration of Finnish People (original) (raw)

Abstract

In studies on the mineral composition of Finnish foods in the 1970s low selenium (Se) concentrations of domestic foods were observed (Varo and Koivistoinen 1980) and the mean Se intake of the population was estimated to be around 25 µg day−1. As the results of some epidemiological studies suggested that very low serum-Se concentrations, indicating low Se intakes, were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death or the risk of cancer, concern was expressed on the quality of domestic foods in Finland. Consequently, a decision was made to supplement multimineral fertilizers with Se starting in 1984 (Koivistoinen and Huttunen 1986). This decision was preceded, among other measures, by a series of agricultural studies showing that in Finland the soil-Se is poorly available for plants. It is assumed that the main factors immobilizing Se are low pH, reducing conditions and high iron content in the soil. Furthermore, it was shown that Se as sodium selenate is incorporated into plants, more readily to the leafy parts than to grains (Yläranta 1985). For this reason, fertilizers which are used for the production of hay and fodder were supplemented with 6 mg kg−1 of Se while fertilizers used for the production of cereals were supplemented with a higher dose, 16 mg kg −1 fertilizer.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Biochemistry, National Public Health Institute, 00280, Helsinki, Finland
A. Aro & G. Alfthan
Department of General Chemistry, University of Helsinki, 00710, Helsinki, Finland
P. Varo

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A. Aro
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G. Alfthan
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P. Varo
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Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Postfach 5560, 7750, Konstanz, Germany
Albrecht Wendel

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Aro, A., Alfthan, G., Varo, P. (1989). Se Supplementation of Fertilizers Has Increased the Se Intake and Serum-Se Concentration of Finnish People. In: Wendel, A. (eds) Selenium in Biology and Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74421-1\_47

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74421-1\_47
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-74423-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74421-1
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