Current situation regarding the sources and intake of selenium in European population

This bachelor thesis is focused on the current dietary recommendations and the actual intake of selenium from food for the European inhabitants, divided into 6 appropriate regions. Above all, the thesis deals with the issue of the sources of this element and possible ways of its supplementation. Part of this thesis is also the identification of areas in which there is a risk of low intake of selenium, and at the same time there the reasons for this deficit are adressed. In the introduction selenium is characterized as a trace biogenic element that has physical and chemical properties, which affect the organism of each individual. Selenium can have a wide range of positive effects, but at the same time, of course, its toxicity needs to be taken into account. For this reason, in this study space was devoted to diseases that selenium may cause in cases of non-compliance with the recommended amount of intake. The amount of the intake of selenium depends mainly on its content in the soil. The concentration of selenium differs according to the geographical conditions of individual regions, which are described in the main part of this thesis. Each region contains a different amount of selenium in soil and consequently in animal and plant products. According to my knowledge from the study of literature, another very important factors is the availability of certain foods, such as fish, which are rich in selenium and thus greatly increase concentration of selenium in the daily diet for several states. The focus was also given to countries, that don't have food rich in selenium, and thus, continue to seek the best possible form of supplementation. This thesis shows the total comparison of the daily intake of selenium in the specific states of Europe. The results have shown that the most stable intake of this element occurs on the territory of the South Europe. They are mainly coastal states and there is a very good availability of fish products mentioned before. By contrast, in south-eastern Europe it is evident that due to the low financial possibilities the problem of selenium deficit is not dealt with and it is assumed that there may occurr a decline in intake of this element in the diet