We're all familiar with the additive fluoride.
But do you know what your daily requirement for fluoride is?
Zero.
In the 1940s and '50s, dentists believed that fluoride was an essential nutrient necessary to build strong bones and teeth. Communities around the country started adding it to their drinking water. And the CDC heralded water fluoridation as one of the greatest public health feats of the 20th century.
The goal was to reduce dental cavities, but the experiment turned out to be a big bust.
Fluoride actually increases cavities.
One large study looked at 400,000 students. It found that for each 1 part-per million (ppm) of added fluoride in the water tooth decay went up by 27%.1
Today, we also know how harmful fluoride is. In fact, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists it among the top 20 substances posing the most significant threat to human health.
How does fluoride affect human health?
Studies prove fluoride:
- Calcifies arteries and leads to heart disease
- Increases tumors of the mouth and thyroid as well as rare forms of bone and liver cancer
- Interferes with brain development in children and significantly lowers IQ scores
- Makes bones weak and brittle and increases the risk of fractures
- Increases the rates of ADHD in children
And the evidence about the dangers of fluoride keeps growing.
Fluoride increases risk of underactive thyroid
New research now shows fluoride greatly increases your risk of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Hypothyroidism causes fatigue, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin and thinning hair. It makes you feel cold all the time. It can also cause slowed heart rate and impaired memory. And it's a major cause of depression.
The new study looked at fluoride in the water supply in England. They found that low thyroid rates were 30% higher in areas with 0.3 mg of fluoride per liter of water.2 And that's less than half the fluoride level in the U.S.
The researchers in England also compared two communities. One had fluoridated water and one did not. They found that the fluoridated area was twice as likely to report higher rates of low thyroid.
Protect yourself from fluoride's effects
In America, approximately 70% of people have fluoride in their drinking water. That's more than 200 million people…
But it isn't just in your drinking water. It's everywhere…
Fluoride is in antibiotics, prescription drugs like Prozac, non-stick pots and pans, and toothpaste. You'll get it in iced tea, wine and beer made with municipal water. It's in produce like lettuce and bakery products.
You can't avoid it completely, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself right away:
1. Take turmeric. This root has been proven to protect the brain from the neurotoxic effects of fluoride.3 Other studies show curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, protects kidneys against fluoride toxicity.4 It's also been shown to prevent DNA damage from fluoride in white blood cells.5
I like to use fresh turmeric root in the kitchen. I grate it like ginger and add it to soups, stews, stir-fries, rice, or lentil dishes. You can also buy ground turmeric, but make sure it's all turmeric and not mixed with curry.
You can also take curcumin supplements. Look for one with at least 90% or greater "curcuminoids." It should also contain piperine (an extract from black pepper). That increases the bioavailability of curcumin by 2,000%. Take 500 to 1,000 mg a day.
2. Filter your water. Most common household water filters like Brita won't remove fluoride. Find one that specifically filters out fluoride like ZeroWater. You can also install a filter on your sink faucet and your shower (because fluoride can be absorbed into your skin).
3. Don't use fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpastes have to contain a poison warning. Don't take the chance. There are plenty of good fluoride-free versions on the market.
4. Check your bottled water. Some bottled water comes right from the tap. To find out how much fluoride is in your bottled water, check out the Fluoride Action Network's chart at http://fluoridealert.org/content/bottled-water/.
5. Buy organic produce. Pesticides have high levels of fluoride. Iceberg lettuce tests at 180 times the recommended levels. Citrus fruits, potatoes, grapes and raisins also have very high levels. Buy only organic versions of these foods to minimize your exposure.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Teotia SPS, Teotia M "Dental Caries: A Disorder of High Fluoride And Low Dietary Calcium Interactions (30 years of Personal Research)" Fluoride, 1994 27:59-66.
2. S Peckham, D Lowery, S Spencer. "Are fluoride levels in drinking water associated with hypothyroidism prevalence in England? A large observational study of GP practice data and fluoride levels in drinking water." Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, February 2015;69:619-624.
3. Sharma C, Suhalka P, Sukhwal P, Jaiswal N, Bhatnagar M. "Curcumin attenuates neurotoxicity induced by fluoride: An in vivo evidence." Pharmacognosy Magazine. 2014;10(37):61-65.
4. Seyed Fazel Nabavi et al, "Protective effects of curcumin against sodium fluoride-induced toxicity in rat kidneys." Biol Trace Elem Res. 2012;145(3):369-74.
5. Hemlata Tiwari, Mandava V Rao, "Curcumin supplementation protects from genotoxic effects of arsenic and fluoride." Food Chem Toxicol. 2010;48(5):1234-8.