Annex D: Discussion paper on the effects of excess Selenium on maternal health
Published 4 September 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/8th-september-2026-committee-on-toxicity-meeting/annex-d-discussion-paper-on-the-effects-of-excess-selenium-on-maternal-health
This is a paper for discussion. This does not represent the views of the Committee and should not be cited.
1. Selenium Supplement Contents and Supplement Exposures
- This annex provides two tables. Table D1 presents a summary of the selenium contents in supplements that were considered in the exposure assessment. Table D2 presents the exposure assessment, performed using the average bodyweight of women of childbearing age from the NDNS (70.3kg) (years 1-11).
Table D1: Dosage information for some selenium supplements (selenium only and MIDS), as sold by UK online retailers at the time of the assessment.
| Supplement name* | Supplement type | Maximum recommended daily serving | Selenium concentration per unit (capsule/ tablet/ scoop etc) (µg) | Selenium concentration from a daily serving (maximum serving size**) (µg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grape Tree Selenium 200mg 240 Tablets | Tablet – Selenium only | 1 tablet | 200 | 200 | |
| Selenium Supplements | 200mcg (40mg L-Selenomethionine) | Tablet– Selenium only | 1 tablet | 200 | 200 |
| Liquid Selenium Supplement – BodyBio UK | Liquid– Selenium only | 1.25 ml | 300 | 300 | |
| Selenium 200mcg Tablets - YrHealth | Tablet– Selenium only | 1 tablet | 200 | 200 | |
| BioCare Selenium vegetable capsules | Capsule– Selenium only | 1 capsule | 100 | 100 | |
| Ionic Selenium Supplement 100ml | Liquid– Selenium only | 10 drops | 57.5 | 57.5 | |
| Eidon Ionic Minerals, Selenium, Liquid Concentrate | Liquid– Selenium only | 30 drops | 260 | 260 | |
| Viridian Selenium Vegicaps | Capsule – selenium only | 3 Capsules | 200 | 600 | |
| Ultra Selenium tablets, Vitabiotics | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 165 | 165 | |
| Selenium 200mcg & ACE RDA Tablets | Tablet-MIDS | 2 tablets | 200 | 400 | |
| Biotin Hair Growth Vitamins 12,000mcg D-Biotin Tablets Enriched with Zinc & Selenium | Tablet-MIDS | 2 tablets | 30 | 60 | |
| Boots Selenium with Vitamins A, C and E | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 100 | 100 | |
| ThyroAid - Thyroid Support Supplement | Capsule-MIDS | 2 capsules | 100 | 200 | |
| Selenium + Vitamins A, C and E | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 100 | 100 | |
| Lamberts Selenium 200µg plus Vitamins A + C + E (100) | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 200 | 200 | |
| Wild Nutrition Food Grown Daily Multi Nutrient for Women | Capsules - MIDS | 2 capsules | 50 | 100 | |
| Holland & Barrett Conception & Pregnancy Support | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 27.5 | 27.5 | |
| Bassetts Vitamins Pregnancy + Omega 3 DHA Multivitamins & Multiminerals Strawberry & Orange 30 Pastilles | Pastilles -MIDS | 1 pastille | 16.5 | 16.5 | |
| Inessa advanced multivitamin | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 55 | 55 | |
| Cytoplan women’s wholefood multivitamin capsules | Capsules - MIDS | 2 capsules | 75 | 150 | |
| Seven Seas Omega-3 and Multivitamins | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 75 | 75 | |
| Boots a-z Vitamins and minerals | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 55 | 55 | |
| Nutravita multivitamins | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 55 | 55 | |
| Swallow multivitamin | Tablets - MIDS | 2 tablets | 27.5 | 55 | |
| Holland and Barrett Ultra woman | Caplets - MIDS | 1 caplet | 100 | 100 | |
| WeightWorld Multivitamin and Mineral | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 55 | 55 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare 60 Vegan Gummies | Gummy -MIDS | 2 gummies | 15 | 30 | |
| Neu Mum Daily Pregnancy Multivitamin | Capsule - MIDS | 1 capsule | 30 | 30 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Conception Tablets | Tablet - MIDS | 1 tablet | 50 | 50 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Max | Tablet - MIDS | 2 tablets | 27.5 | 55 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Breastfeeding Tablets | Tablet - MIDS | 2 tablets | 15 | 30 | |
| PROCEIVE® Women Advanced Fertility Supplement | Capsule - MIDS | 2 capsules | 100 | 200 | |
| Sainsbury’s Pregnancy Plus Essential Vitamins | Tablet - MIDS | 2 tablets | 37.5 | 75 | |
| Free Soul Women’s Multivitamins with collagen | Tablet - MIDS | 2 tablets | 27.5 | 55 | |
| Free soul Hair Skin & Nails Gummies | Gummy -MIDS | 2 gummies | 27.5 | 55 | |
| Proceive Pregnancy Supplement Trimester 1 | Capsule - MIDS | 2 capsules | 100 | 200 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Him & Her Conception | Tablet - MIDS | 1 tablet | 50 | 50 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Original | Tablet - MIDS | 1 tablet | 30 | 30 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Liquid Pregnancy Vitamins | Liquid - MIDS | 10ml (2 tsp) | 15 | 30 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Multivitamin Gummies for Women | Gummy -MIDS | 3 gummies | 18.3 | 55 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Original Multivitamin for Women | Capsules -MIDS | 1 capsule | 100 | 100 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Plus | Tablets - MIDS | 1 tablet | 110 | 110 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Max | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 100 | 100 | |
| Centrum women | Tablet-MIDS | 1 tablet | 30 | 30 |
* Some supplement names specify different units (mg) or concentrations, this is an error by the manufacturer/retailer or relates to other nutrients. All concentrations are expressed in µg. Information on this has been added to the additional information column of E1.
** Maximum serving assumes the maximum amount recommended on the packaging or website of the supplement. E.g. if recommended to take 1-2 capsules per day, this table assumes 2 capsules would be taken. Another example is if the website suggests a serving of 2 capsules a day, but the packaging suggests 3, then the highest suggestion has been used.
Table D2: Exposure estimates for women of childbearing age (16-49 years) to selenium from some supplements (Selenium only and MIDS), as sold in UK online retailers at the time of the assessment.
| Supplement name | Supplement type | Selenium concentration in a daily serving (maximum serving size^) (µg) | Exposure to Selenium (maximum daily serving) (µg/ kg bw/day) * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grape Tree Selenium 200mg 240 Tablets | Tablet – Selenium only | 200 | 2.8 | |
| Selenium Supplements | 200mcg (40mg L-Selenomethionine) | Tablet– Selenium only | 200 | 2.8 |
| Liquid Selenium Supplement – BodyBio UK | Liquid– Selenium only | 300 | 4.3 | |
| Selenium 200mcg Tablets - YrHealth | Tablet– Selenium only | 200 | 2.8 | |
| BioCare Selenium vegetable capsules | Capsule– Selenium only | 100 | 1.4 | |
| Ionic Selenium Supplement 100ml | Liquid– Selenium only | 57.5 | 0.82 | |
| Eidon Ionic Minerals, Selenium, Liquid Concentrate | Liquid– Selenium only | 260 | 3.7 | |
| Viridian Selenium Vegicaps | Capsule – selenium only | 600 | 8.5 | |
| Ultra Selenium tablets, Vitabiotics | Tablet-MIDS | 165 | 2.3 | |
| Selenium 200mcg & ACE RDA Tablets | Tablet-MIDS | 400 | 5.7 | |
| Biotin Hair Growth Vitamins 12,000mcg D-Biotin Tablets Enriched with Zinc & Selenium | Tablet-MIDS | 60 | 0.85 | |
| Boots Selenium with Vitamins A, C and E | Tablet-MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| ThyroAid - Thyroid Support Supplement | Capsule-MIDS | 200 | 2.8 | |
| Selenium + Vitamins A, C and E | Tablet-MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| Lamberts Selenium 200µg plus Vitamins A + C + E (100) | Tablet-MIDS | 200 | 2.8 | |
| Wild Nutrition Food Grown Daily Multi Nutrient for Women | Capsules - MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| Holland & Barrett Conception & Pregnancy Support | Tablets - MIDS | 27.5 | 0.39 | |
| Bassetts Vitamins Pregnancy + Omega 3 DHA Multivitamins & Multiminerals Strawberry & Orange 30 Pastilles | Pastilles -MIDS | 16.5 | 0.23 | |
| Inessa advanced multivitamin | Tablets - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Cytoplan women’s wholefood multivitamin capsules | Capsules - MIDS | 150 | 2.1 | |
| Seven Seas Omega-3 and Multivitamins | Tablets - MIDS | 75 | 1.1 | |
| Boots a-z Vitamins and minerals | Tablets - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Nutravita multivitamins | Tablets - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Swallow multivitamin | Tablets - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Holland and Barrett Ultra woman | Caplets - MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| WeightWorld Multivitamin and Mineral | Tablets - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare 60 Vegan Gummies | Gummy -MIDS | 30 | 0.43 | |
| Neu Mum Daily Pregnancy Multivitamin | Capsule - MIDS | 30 | 0.43 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Conception Tablets | Tablet - MIDS | 50 | 0.71 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Max | Tablet - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Breastfeeding Tablets | Tablet - MIDS | 30 | 0.43 | |
| PROCEIVE® Women Advanced Fertility Supplement | Capsule - MIDS | 200 | 2.8 | |
| Sainsbury’s Pregnancy Plus Essential Vitamins | Tablet - MIDS | 75 | 1.1 | |
| Free Soul Women’s Multivitamins with collagen | Tablet - MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Free soul Hair Skin & Nails Gummies | Gummy -MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Proceive Pregnancy Supplement Trimester 1 | Capsule - MIDS | 200 | 2.8 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Him & Her Conception | Tablet - MIDS | 50 | 0.71 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Original | Tablet - MIDS | 30 | 0.43 | |
| Vitabiotics Pregnacare Liquid Pregnancy Vitamins | Liquid - MIDS | 30 | 0.43 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Multivitamin Gummies for Women | Gummy -MIDS | 55 | 0.78 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Original Multivitamin for Women | Capsules -MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Plus | Tablets - MIDS | 110 | 1.6 | |
| Vitabiotics Wellwoman Max | Tablet-MIDS | 100 | 1.4 | |
| Centrum women | Tablet-MIDS | 30 | 0.43 |
* Some supplement names specify different units (mg) or concentrations, this is an error by the manufacturer/retailer or relates to other nutrients. All concentrations are expressed in µg. Information on this has been added to the additional information column of Table E1.
Maximum serving assumes the maximum amount recommended on the packaging or website of the supplement. E.g. if recommended to take 1-2 capsules per day, this table assumes 2 capsules would be taken. Another example is if the website suggests a serving of 2 capsules a day but the packaging suggests 3, then the highest suggestion has been used.
* Rounded to 2 significant figures.