Selenium is found in cereals, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. It acts as an anti-oxidant and helps to prevent tissue damage caused by free radicals.
The food industry wants to be able to make health claims on food labels suggesting selenium protects against cancer – a proposal Cancer Council does not support, based on limited evidence of a link.
This position statement provides background information about selenium and selenium supplements, and summarises the evidence from studies of selenium to prevent cancer.