In the early 1900’s a young dentist, Dr. McKay, began his practice in Colorado. He noticed that most the children had brown stains on their teeth. Dr. McKay spent 30 years studying this condition. By 1931 analysis revealed that the water in these areas contained high levels of fluoride which had affected the teeth of the children (named fluorosis). It can change tooth enamel which can be slight spots, to brown staining, pitting and all are permanent.
One of the dentists that was studying this condition also found that these children had low rates of cavities. Testing was then done on water to compare various levels. It was determined that fluoride levels up to 1.0 ppm in drinking water did not cause enamel fluorosis in most people. This is how fluoride began to be used to treat cavities.
Water fluoridation begins! Fluoride found naturally is in the calcium fluoride form. In dental products a pharmaceutical grade of fluoride is used, sodium-fluoride. Untreated industrial waste product from the fertilizer industry is what is used. This can contain trace elements of arsenic and lead. Is this less expensive form safe and effective to be added to our water supplies?
Sources of Fluoride
In 2011, the amount of fluoride to be added to water was reduced to 0.7 ppm because fluorosis has continued to be found in children. Unfortunately, we consume fluoride from more than water and dental products. Check out my post about water quality here.
Sources: tea, coffee, grapes, shellfish, sodas, popsicles, baby foods, broths, and stews. Any item made with water may be a source of fluoride – including bottled water!
Many bottled water companies actually pull their water from municipal sources which are heavily treated with fluoride.
Does fluoride really help with cavity prevention? It is interesting to note that most countries do not fluoridate their water. Western Europe has rejected the process, yet the rate of tooth decay has declined there at the same rate as the US. The other statistic that is interesting is that the rate of dental fluorosis has increased markedly in the past quarter century.
Other Concerns
Fluoride can become concentrated in the bones, altering the tissue structure, and weakening the skeleton. Fluoride ingestion can cause decreased activity of the free calcium, which is concentrated throughout the body in the teeth, bones, ligaments, aorta, skeletal muscles, and the brain.
The thyroid can also be affected. A recent study suggests that there is emerging evidence that fluoride is an endocrine disrupter with the potential to disrupt the thyroid. Fluoride inhibits iodine uptake, transport, and reabsorption. This is especially important in infancy and childhood which can influence health outcomes into adulthood. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can have serious implication on the health of the baby including risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, reduced IQ, and greater risk of ADHD and ASD.
Adults Are Affected Too!
In adults, the loss of iodine bioavailability can lead to lower antioxidant capacity, reduced anti-inflammatory capacity, impaired immunity, and increased risk of cancer. All this emerging evidence that fluoride intake is associated with negative health outcomes suggests that continuing the policy of fluoridation of drinking water maybe contributing to the pathogenesis of neurodevelopment disorders, impaired immune responses, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. It is important be proactive on eliminating or at least limiting your fluoride exposure.
Steps You Can Do
There are steps that you can do to begin this process. To avoid fluoride, it is important to choose fluoride-free toothpaste and dental health products. It is also recommended to filter all water that you cook with, drink, and bathe in. There are a number of filters that can remove fluoride from your water. It is also important to avoid using cookware that is Teflon coated as fluoride can leach from these pans.
Exercise helps with overall detoxification especially when sweating. Options can include free-weight training, yoga, brisk walking, and etc. The best exercises are the ones you enjoy and can consistently do while working up a sweat.
Foods That Can Help
Eating a whole-food diet helps with mitigating the effects of fluoride. Sticking to whole foods is important as they generally contain less fluoride because processed foods can be prepared with water containing fluoride. If you can choose organic all the better as there will be less pesticides and insecticides that may contain fluoride products.
There are specific nutrients that can be helpful in decreasing the effects of fluoride in the body.
Calcium is one of the biggest known substances in fighting fluoride. It is a treatment for overdose of fluoride from household products such as hydrofluoric acid in rust remover. Food sources include seeds, cheese, yogurt, almonds, leafy greens, sardines, salmon, and any other fish where the bones are edible.
Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium. Food sources include wild salmon, herring, sardines, and grass fed/pasture-raised animal products.
Vitamin C is helpful to heal damage caused by fluoride. Food sources include peppers, parsley, kale, kiwis, broccoli, lemons, strawberries, and citrus fruits.
Selenium acts as a free-radical scavenger. This can provide a beneficial effect against fluoride toxicity by maintaining normal antioxidant status plus selenium can directly bind to fluoride. Selenium-rich foods include brazil nuts, tuna steak, shrimp, sardines, salmon, cod, cremini mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, and asparagus.
Wrap Up
With the rates of dental fluorosis increasing since 1980, we need to take a good look at how much fluoride we are consuming. A large international study has indicated that cavity incidence is lowest in cities with the lowest levels of water fluoride and with a calcium sufficient diet. This supports maintaining a diet rich in whole foods as they will be rich in antioxidants and nutrients to battle against the fluoride.
Do you limit fluoride in your diet? What strategies do you use?
Heather
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