§ Mr. HainTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what recent studies have been undertaken by his Department on the consumption levels of selenium; what were the findings of those studies; to what extent the survey indicates that selenium consumption levels are meeting the recommended daily amount; if he intends to publish the results of the surveys; and if he will make a statement; [24164]
(2) what is the current recommended daily amount of selenium which should be consumed for (a) adult men and (b) adult women; what steps have been taken to calculate the current actual average daily consumption of selenium by such adult men and women; and how he accounts for differences between the figures for recommended and actual consumption; [24165]
(3) what is meant by the terms reference nutrient intake and lower reference nutrient intake; what are the amounts of those references in relation to selenium; and how those amounts compare with the actual amounts of selenium currently consumed by the adult population. [24167]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe selenium content of foods was measured as part of the Ministry's total diet study in 1985 and 1991, and as a separate research project in 1994. The estimations of average intake based on these results are either 30–40µg/day or 50–60µg/day, depending on the method of analysis used. The most sensitive method leads to the higher estimate, but further research is planned to resolve this analytical uncertainty. The reports of these analytical studies have been published in the scientific press, or have been announced in the MAFF/DH Food Safety Information Bulletin and are available on request to the MAFF library.
There is no recommended daily intake for selenium. The Department of Health's committee on medical aspects of food policy reported on dietary reference values1 in 1991, and gave a reference nutrient intake of 75µg/day for men and 60/µgday for women, and a lower reference nutrient intake of 40µg/day for both men and women. The RNI is the amount of a nutrient that is estimated to be enough, or more than enough, for about 97 per cent. of a population to fulfil the functional 202W criterion against which the RNI was set, which in this case is to maintain maximum glutathione peroxidase activity. The LRNI is the amount of a nutrient which is estimated to be sufficient for those in the population who have low needs. Populations with average selenium intakes above 20µg/day are not at risk of clinical adverse effects.
1 Report on the Panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, Department of Health, HMSO, 1991.