What can you say about selenium in your ads and on your site?

The library supports 5 wordings for selenium; the strongest is “Helps protect cells from oxidative stress” (strong, 8.25-200 µg a day). Avoid wording that names or implies a disease, a drug or a treatment, such as “Prevents cancer, or lowers cancer risk, outside FDA’s qualified wording”.

Reviewed 15 October 2026

Not legal advice. This guide shows the wording that published evidence supports at a daily dose, from the sources linked below; it is not a ruling on any claim. Your own product, its form and dose, and your own evidence still need to match the wording you use.

Supported wordings

What you can say.

Strong evidenceWording 1

Claims Facts

“Helps protect cells from oxidative stress.”

Daily dose	8.25-200 µg a day
Support	Listed by Health Canada and authorized in the EU after EFSA review.
Dose details	Adults 19 and older. Health Canada: 3.5-200 µg a day. EU: at least 8.25 µg, 15% of the 55 µg EU reference value (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII). ODS upper limit: 400 µg.
Form	Selenium from a source on Health Canada’s list (such as L-selenomethionine or sodium selenite), counted as selenium
Sources	Health Canada monograph: Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Supplements Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

Strong evidenceWording 2

Claims Facts

“Supports normal thyroid function.”

Daily dose	8.25-200 µg a day
Support	Listed by Health Canada and authorized in the EU after EFSA review.
Dose details	Adults 19 and older. Health Canada: 3.5-200 µg a day. EU: at least 8.25 µg, 15% of the 55 µg EU reference value (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII). ODS upper limit: 400 µg.
Form	Selenium from a source on Health Canada’s list (such as L-selenomethionine or sodium selenite), counted as selenium
Sources	Health Canada monograph: Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Supplements Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

Moderate evidenceWording 3

Claims Facts

“Supports normal immune function.”

Daily dose	at least 8.25 µg a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA review; Health Canada does not list it.
Dose details	EU: at least 8.25 µg, 15% of the 55 µg EU reference value (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII). Health Canada does not list this use; its monograph allows at most 200 µg a day for adults. ODS upper limit: 400 µg.
Form	Selenium from a source on Health Canada’s list (such as L-selenomethionine or sodium selenite), counted as selenium
Source	Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

Moderate evidenceWording 4

Claims Facts

“Helps maintain normal hair and nails.”

Daily dose	at least 8.25 µg a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA review; Health Canada does not list it. The EU lists hair and nails as two claims.
Dose details	EU: at least 8.25 µg, 15% of the 55 µg EU reference value (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII). Health Canada does not list this use; its monograph allows at most 200 µg a day for adults. ODS upper limit: 400 µg.
Form	Selenium from a source on Health Canada’s list (such as L-selenomethionine or sodium selenite), counted as selenium
Source	Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

Moderate evidenceWording 5

Claims Facts

“Supports normal sperm production.”

Daily dose	at least 8.25 µg a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA review; Health Canada does not list it. The EU wording is normal spermatogenesis.
Dose details	EU: at least 8.25 µg, 15% of the 55 µg EU reference value (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII). Health Canada does not list this use; its monograph allows at most 200 µg a day for adults. ODS upper limit: 400 µg.
Form	Selenium from a source on Health Canada’s list (such as L-selenomethionine or sodium selenite), counted as selenium
Source	Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

How strong the evidence is

Strong evidence: At least two listed sources support it independently at a comparable dose and form, and none disagrees.
Moderate evidence: One listed source supports it as an evidence-based use at that dose, and no listed source disagrees.
Limited evidence: The only support is traditional use, the sources disagree, or the source itself calls the evidence weak.

Wordings to avoid

What to leave out.

Claims Facts

Ingredient: Selenium

Wording to avoid	Reason
“Prevents cancer, or lowers cancer risk, outside FDA’s qualified wording”Names cancer. FDA’s qualified claims on selenium and cancer have set wording (see fda_health_claims).	Disease
“Treats thyroid disease, such as Hashimoto’s or hypothyroidism”Names diseases.	Disease
“Treats male infertility”Names a medical condition.	Disease

Disease: names or implies a disease. Drug: names a drug or presents the product as one. Treatment: promises to treat, cure or prevent a condition.

Sources

Where this comes from.

All ingredient guides

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