Sodium Selenate vs. Sodium Selenite
Among 4,693 on-market selenium products with an identifiable primary form, 14% use Sodium Selenate (657 products) and 11.3% use Sodium Selenite (528).
| Sodium Selenate | Sodium Selenite | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality tier | Tier 2 | Tier 2 |
| Selenium by weight | 21.4% | 45.7% |
| Share of market | 14% | 11.3% |
| On-market products | 657 | 528 |
| Median declared dose | 55 elemental mcg middle half: 20–100 | 50 elemental mcg middle half: 19.25–70 |
| Most common brands | 21st Century, Vitamin World, Nature's Way | Wonder Laboratories, DC, SmartyPants |
Doses are declared per serving in elemental mcg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).
Why Sodium Selenate is tier 2
Inorganic selenate is well absorbed but, like selenite, less well retained in tissue than organic selenomethionine, per a general bioavailability review (organic forms show higher retention than inorganic forms); no selenate-specific human study is cited.
Source: Fairweather-Tait SJ et al. 2010, Am J Clin Nutr 91(5):1484S-1491S, PMID 20200264
Why Sodium Selenite is tier 2
Well absorbed but less well retained than organic selenomethionine (organic forms show higher retention than inorganic forms; Fairweather-Tait 2010).
Source: Fairweather-Tait SJ, Collings R, Hurst R. 2010, Am J Clin Nutr 91(5):1484S-1491S, PMID 20200264