Selenium intake may influence mood. Generally it has been evidenced that those individuals with a low selenium intake are at a higher risk of mood disorders including depression and anxiety. A number of studies have investigated the effects of selenium supplements on mood and found positive effects. For example, in one study, researchers studied the diets of a group of individuals in a metabolic research unit. The subjects were administered diets of 2800 kcal per day for 21 days, and at this intake the food provided 80 micrograms of selenium. The subjects diets were then changed and they received a diet containing the same amount of energy, but with either 13 or 356 micrograms per day selenium for 99 days. The results of the study showed that the mood scores (measuring hostility and depression) decreased (got worse) for those subjects in the low selenium group, and this was particularly evident if the subjects had a low selenium status at the beginning of the study. Low mood was correlated with low blood selenium levels.
Selenium in plant food varies depending on the soil concentration in the area the plant was grown, or on the amount of selenium in the diet that the animal was fed. Variation in selenium concentrations of food can be significant, and low selenium diets have been shown to be eaten by populations in certain geographical regions. The best way to ensure adequate selenium in the diet is to eat foods rich in selenium like tuna fish and brazil nuts, and to take a selenium supplement of around 200 micrograms per day.
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