Is Fluoride Making You Dumb?
This article will explore the health concerns and issues associated with fluoride. This will include:
Keep an eye out for various knowledge bombs in this article.
These allow you to read additional information and check out new perspectives to deepen your understanding of the topic.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH FLUORIDE?
Fluoride is a halogen, one of the elements from the periodic table that behaves in strongly reactive ways. Being the lightest of all halogens, it’s also the most reactive and electronegative in its action.
The other halogens include bromine, chlorine, essential for normal muscle function and stomach acid production, and iodine. Iodine has one of the most critical roles in the human body by providing the means to make thyroid hormones.
Without adequate thyroid hormone production, brain development can be impaired. This is why consuming iodine-dense foods is critical. However, what is not considered often is that fluoride can displace other halogens like iodine and cause an iodine deficiency and subclinical iodine deficit even though your blood test appears “Normal”.
In this manner, and via other biological mechanisms, fluoride has become a cause for concern for our health.
FLUORIDE AT A GLANCE
Fluoride is generally one of the more abundant elements in nature. Its chemical properties have made it an appealing element to incorporate into cosmetic products like toothpaste or water sanitation for its antimicrobial properties.
It’s generally accepted that fluoride protects our teeth from developing cavities by this antimicrobial mechanism and by forming rigid structures with other minerals that comprise our teeth.
But this ability to incorporate itself into structures like metal complexes, proteins, DNA, RNA, mitochondrial proteins, and lipids makes fluoride a double-edged sword.
Too much fluoride, mainly from the water supply, can and has also contributed to a rise in cases of fluorosis. 1
FLOURIDE HEALTH CONCERNS?
Most of the discussion around the safety of fluoride centres on its dosing being important. Rhetorically, we all already know the dose is important.
What isn’t discussed but should be mentioned is that the amount of fluoride tends to accumulate over time whether or not we are exposed to a low or large dose. Most of this fluoride gets shuttled into our bones and teeth, but some affect our cells and tissues.
Even small doses at 0.3 parts per million (ppm), below the recommended range of 0.7 ppm as stated by the CDC 2, can cause problems for our thyroid gland and reproductive system. 1
Considering the wide exposure range and more significant than 0.3 ppm exposure for modern humans, we have a cause for concern.
HOW FLUORIDE EXPOSURE OCCURS
The primary source of fluoride exposure in modern times comes from the water supply that is purposefully fluoridated. Additionally, sneaky pharmaceuticals and antibiotics can contain fluoridated molecules. Unless toothpaste is consumed, not much fluoride exposure comes from utilizing toothpaste itself unless we swallow it. Remember this as a kid? Or remember being told not to swallow toothpaste? Nope, I didn’t recognize the warnings.
Soil is the only other source of highly concentrated Fluoride. However, this matters very little since most foods contain low amounts of Fluoride.
Fluoride is also released into the air, water, and soil during mining and industrial processes. Fluoride is either used in a reaction, such as in aluminium smelting or glass production, or released as a byproduct in phosphate fertilizer production, ceramic production, and coal burning. The Fluoride in the fertilizer is a big issue with groundwater entering the global food chain and hydrolysis cycle.
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF FLUORIDE -EXPLORED
Fluoride is known to cause several physiological effects that dramatically reduce overall health.
They include:
Inhibition of the Na+/K+ ATPase channels. These channels use sodium and potassium to bring things in and out of the cells. 3
Reduction of iodine sequestration inside of cells. This, in turn, can cause hypothyroidism centrally and peripherally.
Increase IGF1 (insulin growth factor 1) signalling as a growth peptide. In turn, cells can proliferate uncontrollably and take on dysplasia phenotypes. This likely connects to the problem with estrogen excess and the inability of iodine to help detox and excrete estrogen from tissues such as the breasts - and why it could be linked to breast cancer. Fluoride appears to do this even in low doses (1-10uM concentrations) via increasing cAMP signalling, which increases the production of a prostaglandin known as PGE2. This is all to say that fluoride forces cells into a more oxidative state. 3
Fluoride inhibits megalin, a protein similar to LDL and takes in vitamins, enzymes, micronutrients, and even hormones. This appears to reduce the overall production of thyroid hormones by creating an iodine deficiency. 3
FLUORIDE - DIELECTRIC DISPLACER
Unsurprisingly, fluoride can elicit such a large number of effects. Due to its -1 charge, Fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen, with its -2 charge. This can become a problem for our water bonding networks, which have and NEED oxygen for human physiology to work.
Knowledge bomb:
“Hydrogen fluoride has stronger hydrogen bonding than water. The electronegativity of the Fluorine atom is more than that of the Oxygen atom which leads to stronger hydrogen bonding in hydrogen fluoride.”
“In an aqueous mixture of MFE, the substitution of a single fluorine induces a change in the orientation as well as the hydrogen bonding site of water”
This is why “Bign Pharma” likes the use of fluorine.
“These findings about modifying a hydrogen bond network by the hydrophobic fluorine group probably make fluorinated molecules useful for pharmaceutical and biological applications.”
This also makes Fluorine more reactive. The smaller atomic radii, when compared to chlorine, also make Fluorine more likely to react than any other halogen. This is why Fluorine will tend to displace the hydroxyl group from hydroxyapatite (your teeth) and insert itself in its place. Becoming a sly, slippery bully.
However, this also occurs for any other tissue rich in hydroxyl groups, such as collagenous tissue, requiring a large number of hydroxyl ions to be appropriately made. Its strongly electronegative property also allows fluoride to react with magnesium ions (Mg2+) and reduces the ability of certain enzymes to operate. This is becoming a problem with increased associations of insulin resistance, PCOS and neurotransmitter defects linked to magnesium’s important role in cofactor binding sites.
A reduction in a class of enzymes known as pyrophosphatases, which are involved in carbohydrate breakdown, gets interfered with by fluoride due to its interaction with Mg2+ ions. Tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphatases are enzymes that catalyze reactions of amino acids into their subsequent neurotransmitters. Fluoride has the capacity to inhibit these sets of enzymes as well since they are phosphatases. 9
This property of fluoride is what makes it able to displace neutral but polarized compounds or molecules. Bad news for our physiology.
FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE - CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
Although it would require someone to consume toothpaste, fluoride concentration far exceeds the concentrations found in water or soil. Toothpaste can contain anywhere between 1000-1500 ppm of fluoride. At a minimum, this is 142 times the upper limit set by the EPA.
A Cochrane study evaluating fluoride-containing toothpaste for preventing dental carries suggested that side effects were rare and only pertained to fluoride dental staining. The beginning sign of dental fluorosis. 4
But there was no mention of other unwanted side effects. Does this indicate that fluoride is safe?
Not exactly. Fluoride can still be absorbed through the oral mucosa and has a high penetration power. Even in serum, it can cross the placenta and affect a developing fetus. In fact, this is how “developmental fluorosis” can occur. Fluoride is highly correlated as an IQ-lowering agent and a neurotoxin. 5, 6
So, despite the lack of clinical side effects, the measurement of the question, the side effect in question, and the duration of exposure matter when determining fluoride safety or toxicity.
NATURAL SOURCES OF FLUORIDE
Fluoride concentration worldwide has been increasing due to the increase in the use of fluoridated products and their contamination of the environment. But in general, there have always existed natural sources of fluoride.
Since fluorine, the atom itself (F-), is strongly reactive, it rarely exists as just fluoride (F2). Instead, it forms salts with other metals like iron, copper, manganese, etc. Fluorine forms crystals with these metals.
Fluoride exposure in soil has been strongly affected by industrialization. Naturally, fluoride content in soil is still low.
“Fluoride exposure can also vary based on diet. All foods contain fluoride. Some of the highest concentrated food sources occur from fluoride-accumulating plants, such as tomato, spinach, grapes, tea, and elderberry.”
Each food is highly variable depending on the water, soil, weather, season, and what part of the plant is consumed, such as the leaves versus the fruit or seed. Additionally, was it sprayed with a pesticide?
Chemical power plants, oil refineries, and nuclear power plants have all introduced more fluoride into the environment. Agricultural practices have strongly contributed to fluoride accumulation within the soil. 7
Increasing fluorine concentration in the soil causes plants to take up fluoride more readily. In turn, animals that eat or concentrate the plants further up the food chain may get a more significant exposure rate. That is if most of the fluoride isn’t absorbed into dental and osseous tissue.
IS THERE A RDA FOR FLUORIDE
There is a general consensus that fluoride is necessary for human health. This stems from its role in protecting from dental carries. The question could be:
WHY DO WE HAVE AN INCREASED RATE AND NEED FOR PROTECTING DENTAL CARRIES? Sweets + Candy + Soft drinks, aka the Westernised diet.
It’s important to note that hydroxyapatite, the stuff that makes up your enamel, already has a solid molecule to contribute to healthy enamel. That’s the hydroxyl atom (-OH).
What fluoride does is preferential gets taken into the dental crystal (similar to how it does in soil-based crystals as discussed above) and displaces the hydroxyl group.
One of the consequences of this is abnormal hydrogen peroxide metabolism occurs. The other is fluoride binds to the apatite crystal, forming fluorapatite. 8
Without a source of fluoride, teeth are still protected from dental carries. We also have a plethora of data showing that overall micronutrient status, vitamin status, protein consumption, and dental hygiene are far more critical for dental health than simply fluoride.
You can even purchase RISEWELL hydroxyapatite toothpaste to feel reassured and transition away from fluoridated toothpaste for you or your young family.
HOW TO MITIGATE FLUORIDE EXPOSURE
It’s important to note that most fluoride exposure will come mainly from your water supply. It would be ideal to utilize water filters for both consumption and showering. This lowers the amount of Fluoride consumed from water or inhaled from hot water.
Water filters like aquatru, which use reverse osmosis, remove all impurities, including Fluoride. Shower filters like Pristine Hydro’s shower filter reduce fluoride exposure and other halogenated compounds like chloramines. You could take it a step further and get their whole house filtration system to take care of the washing, lawn, and everything else that uses water. The AquaTru and other filters are limited to just drinking water.
Additionally, consuming a diet that is not so heavy on plants is probably ideal as this will be the primary route of dietary exposure—at the same time, focusing on nutrient density and ensuring adequate iodine intake from foods such as shellfish, seafood, seaweed, and dairy products.
If you would like to learn more about the history of Fluoride and its effect on human health - I highly recommend watching this video by Dr. Jack Kruse.
I would avoid aggressive alternative medicine therapies/protocols such as high-dose lugs. This can end up causing problems down the line. Please work with a health practitioner who thinks critically and always takes personalised care of their clients.
If you want to try a non-fluoridated and hydroxyapatite toothpaste, look no further than Rise Well. You can save 10% off their range using the discount code LIVEVITAE10.
SUMMARY
As you can see - The subject is not clear cut - fluoride is healthy, and we must consume or use it. The whole concept rests mainly on the diet and lifestyle we typically expose ourselves to. Suppose our diet is nutrient-rich and contains very few sugared beverages or candy. In that case, if we maintain appropriate oral hygiene practises, there is little to no need to use fluoride in dental products or include it in our water supply. The choice is yours at the end of the day - You are the CEO of your body, so take control and do more research if you're on the fence, but don’t just take the word from your conventional dentist, who conflicted establishments have trained.
REFERENCES
[1]: Aoun, A., Darwiche, F., Al Hayek, S., & Doumit, J. (2018). The Fluoride Debate: The Pros and Cons of Fluoridation. Preventive nutrition and food science, 23(3), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2018.23.3.171
[2]: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, October 10). Public Health Service (PHS) recommendation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faqs/public-service-recommendations.html
[3]: Waugh D. T. (2019). Fluoride Exposure Induces Inhibition of Sodium/Iodide Symporter (NIS) Contributing to Impaired Iodine Absorption and Iodine Deficiency: Molecular Mechanisms of Inhibition and Implications for Public Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(6), 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16061086
[4]: Walsh, T., Worthington, H. V., Glenny, A. M., Marinho, V. C., & Jeroncic, A. (2019). Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 3(3), CD007868. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3
[5]: Goyal, L. D., Bakshi, D. K., Arora, J. K., Manchanda, A., & Singh, P. (2020). Assessment of fluoride levels during pregnancy and its association with early adverse pregnancy outcomes. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(6), 2693–2698. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_213_20
[6]: Grandjean P. (2019). Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: an updated review. Environmental health : a global access science source, 18(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-019-0551-x
[7]: Jha, S. K., Mishra, V. K., Sharma, D. K., & Damodaran, T. (2011). Fluoride in the Environment and Its Metabolism in Humans. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 211, 121–142. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-8011-3_4
[8]: Ullah, R., Zafar, M. S., & Shahani, N. (2017). Potential fluoride toxicity from oral medicaments: A review. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences, 20(8), 841–848. https://doi.org/10.22038/IJBMS.2017.9104
[9]: Strunecka, Anna & Patocka, Jiri & Blaylock, Russell & Chinoy, Niloufer. (2007). Fluoride Interactions: From Molecules to Disease. Current Signal Transduction Therapy. 2. 190-213. 10.2174/157436207781745300.