Selenium: Organic vs. Inorganic
Okay, this isn’t a discussion about whether you need to supplement selenium. I’m not saying that question isn’t bouncing around in my mind, but it’s about another question spawned for the first. What is better to supplement with organic or inorganic.? And that question naturally leads me to another! How do I know if the selenium in my horse’s supplements is the right type and amount?
You might be wondering why I even care. Well, because some company told me their supplement was better because it was the best form of selenium, I should swap and pay even more to get the best.
Maybe you don’t really care why I was thinking about selenium, and you just want me to answer the question. Okay, I’m getting to that. Let’s break down the types of selenium first. The division of organic versus inorganic is all about carbon. Selenium isn’t just out there as the element Selenium (Se). Instead, we find it in a molecule combined with other elements. When carbon is part of that molecule, then the selenium is in an organic form. And, you guessed it, the selenium source is inorganic when carbon is missing.
Organic
Let’s first look at organic selenium. The most common form of selenium is Selenomethionine. It is also the form that accumulates in the body at the highest level. The downfall is that it is less effectively utilized by the body. Another organic form of selenium is Methylselocysteine. Plants, where the soil is high in selenium produce this form because it prevents selenium poisoning within the plant. It’s a more effective form of selenium to prevent things like cancer, but it is not nearly as commonly found. Organic forms of selenium are absorbed by the body at a 98% rate. That means if you supplement with an organic selenium source, most of that supplement is utilized by the body.
Inorganic
So what about inorganic? The inorganic form is the most common in supplements. The most common form is Sodium Selenite. Another inorganic form is Sodium Selenate. Inorganic forms have a much lower absorption rate of only 84%.
In conclusion, organic selenium may be more effective at face value than inorganic, but does that mean my inorganic supplement is a waste of money? I don’t think so. It just means I need to do a little math. If I’m using an inorganic formula, I need to remember that 84% absorption rate. Suppose my target is 3 mg of selenium. I would need to supplement with 3.6 mg of inorganic selenium to achieve similar absorption rates as 3 mg of organic selenium.
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