Selenium Biofortification of Agricultural Crops and Effects on Plant Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds Important for Human Health and Disease Prevention – a Review

Abstract

Selenium supplementation in humans has been suggested for the prevention of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Selenium biofortification of plants has been explored as a method for increasing selenium content of food and dietary selenium intake in humans. However, the effects of selenium biofortification on other dietary nutrients is often a secondary discussion. These effects are especially important to explore considering selenium-biofortified foods contain many other nutrients important to human health, such as other minerals and antioxidant compounds, which can make these foods superior to selenium supplementation alone. Investigation of selenium biofortification's effect on these nutrients is necessary for a comprehensive human nutrition perspective on biofortification strategies. This review considers the effects of selenium biofortification on selenium content, other minerals, and antioxidant compounds as they pertain to human health in order to suggest optimal strategies for biofortification. Pre-clinical and clinical studies assessing the effects of consumption of selenium biofortified foods are also discussed.