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Randomised trial · European journal of nutrition · 2025Conflicts declared

Brazil nut butter and selenium status in vegans and omnivores

Simon R, Lossow K, Pellowski D, et al · Free full text

What it found

In a two-week trial in people, Brazil nut butter and a selenium supplement both raised blood selenium levels by similar amounts in vegans and omnivores.

The supplement raised a selenium transport protein more than Brazil nut butter did.

What they found

Studies in people

Selenium levels at start

At the start, vegans had lower average blood selenium (64 µg/L) than omnivores (76 µg/L). Vegans also had lower GPX3 and SELENOP levels.

Selenium intake

Vegans reported eating less selenium (47 µg/day) than omnivores (64 µg/day). Most vegans (84%) were below the recommended daily intake.

Selenium after intervention

Blood selenium rose in both the Brazil nut butter and supplement groups, by 18 µg/L in vegans and about 15 to 17 µg/L in omnivores. It stayed the same in the placebo groups.

SELENOP after intervention

SELENOP rose in both the Brazil nut butter and supplement groups. The rise was larger in vegans than in omnivores, and larger with the supplement than with Brazil nut butter.

GPX3 after intervention

GPX3 activity barely changed. Only vegans taking the supplement had a significant rise, from 311 U/L to 357 U/L.

Zinc and copper

Copper levels did not change in any group. Zinc rose in vegans on placebo and omnivores on the supplement, but not in the other groups.

What the authors conclude

“Brazil nuts are a plant-based source of selenium suitable for vegans and omnivores to improve their selenium status when consumed once in a while.”
Simon R, Lossow K, Pellowski D, et al, 2025

Also in their conclusions

  • They conclude that Brazil nuts are a plant-based source of selenium suitable for vegans and omnivores to improve their selenium status when consumed once in a while.
  • They note that Brazil nuts also provide other nutrients, but their zinc and copper contribution is negligible.
  • They advise that regular long-term Brazil nut consumption is challenging because selenium levels vary between nuts and they contain natural radionuclides.

How it was done

Vegans may not get enough selenium because plant foods in Europe are low in it, and Brazil nuts are the only plant food with a high selenium content. The authors wanted to see if Brazil nut butter could improve selenium status as well as a supplement.

They randomly assigned 44 vegans and 42 omnivores to receive a placebo, 55 µg of selenium daily as Brazil nut butter, or 55 µg as a supplement for two weeks. Blood levels of selenium, GPX3, and SELENOP were measured before and after.

What it can’t tell you

  • The study lasted only two weeks, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods.
  • The number of participants was small, so the results may not apply to everyone.
  • The vegan group had more women than the omnivore group, so sex differences could not be ruled out.

The paper

Title
Improving the selenium supply of vegans and omnivores with Brazil nut butter compared to a dietary supplement in a randomized controlled trial
Type
Randomised controlled trial
Evidence
Studies in people
Summarised from
Full text
Licence
CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
Cite
Simon R, Lossow K, Pellowski D, et al (2025). Improving the selenium supply of vegans and omnivores with Brazil nut butter compared to a dietary supplement in a randomized controlled trial. European journal of nutrition. doi:10.1007/s00394-025-03587-zFree full textPubMed 39891729DOI

Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error