Absorption, excretion, and retention of selenium from a high selenium yeast in men with a high intake of selenium

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of Selenium (Se) from yeast given to humans with a habitual long-term daily intake at a supra-nutritional level. METHODS: Twelve healthy males with a daily supplemental intake of 300 µg Se as selenised yeast over 10 weeks were supplemented with a single dose of 327 µg as stable (77)Se incorporated into selenised yeast manufactured by the same standardised process (SelenoPrecise®, Pharma Nord, Denmark). RESULTS: Absorption of Se from (77)Se-enriched yeast was 89±4% and the retention was 74±6%. The (77)Se excretion from the single-dose was 47±15 µg in urine and 37±13 µg in faeces. The maximum, enriched (77)Se concentration in plasma was 9.8±1.5 µg/l and the time to maximum was 9.2 hours. The plasma halftime of (77)Se was longer with increasing time; 1.7 days for the initial phase (½-2 days), 3.0 days for the middle phase (2–3 days) and 11.1 days for the later phase (3–14 days). CONCLUSION: The Se from the standardised Se-enriched yeast was well absorbed and retained in the body.