The Study
Selenium intake, food sources, and associated factors in Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil): a cross-sectional study
This study looked at what people in Brazil were eating and how much selenium they got, and noticed that people with more money or education tended to eat more selenium-rich foods. But it didn’t prove that having more money makes you eat more selenium — it just saw that these things happened together at the same time.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what foods give people selenium and who eats more of them.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — people with lower income or who smoke eat less selenium-rich food, which could put them at risk for deficiency.
- 2Nuts gave 28.9% of selenium, fish and meat made up the rest of the top sources.
- 3Smokers got 7.77 μg/day less selenium.
- 4Drinkers got 4.38 μg/day more.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
São Paulo Medical Journal
Year
2025
Authors
Elen Cintia Vale Pedro, J. Levy, D. Marchioni, I. Benseñor
Related Content
Claims (6)
In Brazilian adults, the majority of selenium intake comes from nuts, cooked fish, and boneless meat, with nuts providing nearly 29% of total selenium consumption.
In Brazilian adults, people who consume more selenium tend to be women, older than 60, have higher income or education, drink alcohol, or engage in regular physical activity. People who consume less selenium tend to have non-white skin color or smoke.
In Brazil, people with lower income and non-white skin color tend to consume less selenium in their diet than those with higher income and white skin color, which may increase their risk of not getting enough of this essential nutrient.
In Brazil, people who currently smoke consume about 7.77 micrograms less selenium per day than those who have never smoked or have quit, suggesting their diet tends to include less selenium-rich foods.
Brazilian adults who drink alcohol tend to consume about 4.38 micrograms more selenium per day than those who do not drink, likely because their diets include more selenium-rich foods like meat and fish.
Selenium is a mineral found in certain foods such as organ meats, seafood, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and cruciferous vegetables.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.