The company devoted its efforts to the marketing and distribution of selenium-enriched agricultural products. Selenium is one of the “essential” nutrients for humans, meaning that our bodies cannot produce it, and so we have to get it from our diet. Selenium deficiency can cause health problems including Keshan’s disease, a form of cardiomyopathy. The World Health Organization has found that between 50 and 250 micrograms of selenium constitute a healthy daily intake.
Scientists now know selenium is necessary in the body’s production of selenoproteins, a family of proteins that contain selenium in the form of an amino acid. So far, 25 different selenoproteins in the body have been isolated, but only half of their functions have been identified. Selenium is one of several nutrients known to have antioxidant properties, meaning selenium plays a part in chemical reactions that stop free radicals from damaging cells and DNA. Human and animal research has found selenoproteins are involved in embryo development, thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense, sperm production, muscle function and the immune system’s response to vaccinations. Antioxidant supplements, including selenium, are often touted to help prevent heart disease, cancer and vision loss.
According to the Chinese Selenium Supplements Association, selenium is purported to help people with asthma, and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Selenium levels drop with age, so some have claimed selenium can slow the aging process, cognitive decline and dementia. Low selenium levels are also implicated in depression, male infertility, weak immune systems and thyroid problems. Plants grown in soil containing selenium convert it into a form that is usable to humans and animals. Soil around the world varies in its selenium concentration. The higher the concentration of selenium in soil, the higher the concentration of selenium is in crops. Soil in Nebraska, South and North Dakota, for example, is especially rich in selenium, and people living in these areas typically have the highest dietary intake of selenium in the United States. On the other hand, seventy-two percent (72%) of the land in China is selenium-poor. Because rice is a staple food in China, selenium-enriched rice obtained by bioenrichment to increase the selenium content of rice was determined to be a good selenium source for the population in selenium-deficient regions.
All our products come from the Sanjiang Plain. The Sanjiang Plain is noteworthy for, among other things, the relatively high content of selenium in its soil. By focusing on the marketing and distribution of selenium-enhanced rice, the Company hopes to develop a sustainable position in the Chinese rice market.
