Abstract:Selenium is an essential trace element for the human body, and plays significant roles in antioxidation, anticancer, and hormone regulation. However, the average dietary selenium intake by the adults in China is only 39.0 μg/d, which is far lower than the recommended dietary selenium intake range (60~400 μg/d) recommended by the Chinese Nutrition Society. Rice is the main staple food crop in China, and cultivating selenium-rich rice in selenium-rich soil is an important approach to address the insufficient selenium intake for Chinese residents. However, cadmium contamination of the soil in the selenium-rich regions is severe cadmium, and the cadmium content of selenium-rich rice produced in such an environments frequently exceeds the standard limit for cadmium content, which poses a serious threat to China's food security and hinders the development of selenium-rich agriculture. Based on the latest literature research, this paper firstly introduces the impacts of selenium and cadmium on human health, then summarizes the selenium deficiency and cadmium contamination status in China, as well as research on selenium-rich rice in China, and studies on the absorption of selenium and cadmium by rice. Finally, the selenium-cadmium interaction mechanisms, are systematically reviewed, in order to provide scientific basis and theoretical reference for the production of healthy, safe, and high-quality selenium-rich rice in naturally selenium-rich areas.