Cancer risk due to mineral deficiency Increasing selenium deficiency

Selenium deficiency is increasing: Climate change has an impact on our food
The trace element selenium is essential for human health. We pick up selenium on foods such as cereals. But in many regions of the world there is an increasing threat of selenium deficiency. This is the result of climate change, which also causes the selenium content in the soil to decrease and thus less selenium in foodstuffs. This is indicated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

The selenium concentration in soils decreases when the pH and the oxygen availability in the soil are high and the content of clay and organic carbon are low. An evaluation of 33,000 soil samples from data sets from 1994 to 2016 showed that the interactions of climate and soil have an influence on the selenium distribution. Rainfall and the ratio of precipitation and evaporation have the greatest influence on the selenium concentration. On the one hand, selenium is washed out during precipitation and is lost; at the same time, the oxygen content is lower in wet soils and selenium remains more bound to soil particles. Dry, alkaline soils with low clay contain rather less selenium.

Who takes too little nutrients, risking an increased risk of cancer. Picture: Selenium deficiency can cause cancer. Image: vkuslandia - fotolia

On the basis of these findings, the scientists tried to model the selenium concentration of the soils worldwide for the periods 1980 to 1988 and 2080 to 2099 and came to the conclusion that by the end of the century two thirds of the utilized agricultural areas had a selenium loss of about nine percent Compared to 1980 to 1999 is expected.

Even today, one billion people suffer from selenium deficiency. To avoid selenium deficiency, selenium fertilizer could be used. Finland has been doing so since 1984. Like Germany, Denmark, Scotland and some Balkan countries, it has mostly selenium poor soils. In addition, selenium could be used as an additive in animal feed.

The trace element selenium has an antioxidant effect and captures free radicals. It is an important building block for many proteins. Lack of selenium can lead to diseases of the heart muscle. However, too much selenium can also be harmful and lead to vomiting, cause liver damage or affect the taste.

According to the Federal Center for Nutrition in Bonn, 150 g of tuna, 125 g of pork liver or 100 g of sardines are sufficient for the daily requirement for selenium (30 to 70 μg). 50 grams of pasta cover 20 percent of your daily needs and a chicken egg 12 percent. A varied diet also prevents not only selenium deficiency. Renate Kessen, bzfe