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Meta-analysis of the effect of oral selenium supplementation on milk selenium concentration in cattle

A. Ceballos^*,1, J. Sánchez, H. Stryhn^*, J. B. Montgomery^*, H. W. Barkema and J. J. Wichtel^*

^* Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3, Canada
Canadian Food and Inspection Agency, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1E 1E3, Canada
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada

¹ Corresponding author: aceballos{at}upei.ca

Soils in many regions of the world have a low Se content. Consequently, forages and crops grown on these soils may provide inadequate dietary Se for humans and grazing animals. Selenium supplementation has been used to enhance Se status and milk Se concentration, but results conflict. Milk Se concentration appears to be a useful indicator of animal and herd Se status, and reflects the responsiveness to supplementation. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to summarize all available scientific evidence for the effect of oral Se supplementation on milk Se concentration in cattle. The literature search was based on electronic and nonelectronic databases. Fixed- and random-effects models of meta-analysis were used, and a meta-regression was carried out to evaluate heterogeneity among studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed on 42 studies published between 1977 and 2007. Oral Se supplementation resulted in an average increase in milk Se content of 0.16 (95% confidence interval: 0.117, 0.207) µmol/L, with a significant heterogeneity among studies. Weak publication bias was evident, but it did not change the average effect. The continent where the study was performed, Se source, Se dose, and the interaction between source and dose explained 71% of the between-study variance. On average, American cows supplemented with Se yeast (e.g., 6 mg/h per day) had greater milk Se concentrations (approximately 0.37 µmol/L) 75 d after the beginning of supplementation when compared with those supplemented with inorganic forms of Se. This information provides a basis for tailoring daily animal requirements and for enhancing the Se intake of consumers of dairy products.

Key Words: cattle • milk • selenium • meta-analysis