Selenium labels: why the microgram column matters
Selenium is declared in micrograms. Here is how to read that column, the named form and the NRV percentage.
A nutrient declared on the microgram scale
Selenium appears in nutrient panels in micrograms. A microgram is one thousandth of a milligram, so the unit itself does a lot of work on a label like this.
Misreading micrograms as milligrams is the usual error here. Check the unit on the row before you compare any two numbers.
The form sits in the ingredients list
Selenium is supplied as a named compound or as a selenium enriched material, and the ingredients list is where that name appears.
Whichever is used, the nutrient panel still declares selenium itself, so the panel remains the comparable figure.
- Sodium selenite and sodium selenate are mineral salts.
- L-selenomethionine is an amino acid bound form.
- Selenium enriched yeast is a material whose selenium content is declared separately from the yeast weight.
Yeast based materials declare the selenium, not the yeast
Where a yeast material is used, the milligrams of yeast and the micrograms of selenium are unrelated figures printed on the same pack.
Reading the yeast weight as a selenium figure overstates it by a wide margin, so always find the nutrient panel row.
The NRV percentage does the comparing for you
The nutrient reference value is a fixed legal reference figure per nutrient. The percentage reports the portion against it, which helps on a microgram scale where small numbers are easy to misjudge.
Two labels showing the same selenium NRV percentage carry the same selenium per portion, whatever form each one names.
Ninety tablets, portion unstated
The pack is listed as 90 tablets. A tablet count is not a portion count and cannot be converted into one without the label.
Once the portion is printed, cost per portion becomes the figure to compare across products.
What the label tells you
The full ingredients list, the amount per portion, allergens, dietary suitability, directions and storage are printed on the pack.
Read the label before you take any supplement, and check the product page for the format, pack size and price before you buy.
