Danish study finds risk from fluoride exposure when pregnant women drink tea

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Danish study finds risk from fluoride exposure when pregnant women drink tea 

Concerned that pregnant women in Scandinavia may consume amounts of fluoride from tea that can damage the developing brains of their offspring even if their community water system has little fluoride in it, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital have measured the concentration of fluoride in the women’s urine, and found that those who consume tea daily had 50 percent more fluoride in their urine than those who do not drink the beverage. 

The researchers also quantified the amount of fluoride in over 30 brands of tea sold in Denmark, and found that nearly half of them produced an infusion that exceeded the World Health Organization recommended maximum level of fluoride in water of 1.5 milligrams per liter. 

“Fluoride exposure among pregnant women increases with tea consumption, with likely risks of developmental neurotoxicity to their children. As the fluoride release from tea varies widely, the fluoride concentration should be indicated on tea packages in order to allow

consumers to make informed decisions on minimising their fluoride exposure,” the authors conclude. 

The authors also noted that fluoride consumption would increase if fluoridated water is used to prepare the tea. 

“Because the tea infusions were made with fluoride- free water, the fluoride in the potable water must be added to the results. Thus, depending on residence and the tea chosen, a daily fluoride intake from two cups of tea could easily exceed 1 mg. The consumption data therefore suggest that many women who often drink tea are likely to exceed benchmark dose or acceptable daily intake levels for fluoride,” they wrote. 

Krishnankutty, N., Jensen, T.S., Kjaer, J., Jørgensen, J.S., Nielsen, F. and Grandjean, P. Public-health risks from tea drinking: Fluoride exposure. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Jan. 2, 2021. 

Brazilian dental researchers concerned for fluoride’s effect on intestines 

            Concerned for the effect of acute fluoride exposure on the nerves of the intestinal tract, researchers at the University of São Paulo School of Dentistry and the State University of Maringá have documented the effect of high dose fluoride exposure on the population of nerve cells or neurons, morphological alterations of the neurons and changes in gene expression of these cells, associated with the small intestine. 

            “Fluoride is extensively applied for dental health improvement and its ingestion can promote systemic toxicity with mild to severe gastrointestinal tract symptomatology and neurotoxicity,” they write. 

            Their paper reports that high dose fluoride exposure caused “a decrease in the density of nitrergic neurons and morphometric alterations in the general populations of neurons, nitrergic neurons, and substance P varicosities. Proteomics demonstrated fluoride-induced alterations in levels of expression of 356 proteins correlated to striated muscle cell differentiation; generation of precursor metabolites and energy; NADH and glutathione metabolic process and purine ribonucleoside triphosphate biosynthesis.” 

            Nitrergic neurons are involved in the movement of food through the intestines. Substance P is a type of neurotransmitter that is also involved in the inflammatory response. 

Melo, C.G.dS., Zanoni, J.N., de Souza, S.R.G., Zignani, I., Leite, A dL., Heubel, A.D., Perles, J.V.C.M. and Buzalaf, M.A.R. 2021. Global proteomic profile integrated to quantitative and morphometric assessment of enteric neurons: Investigation of the mechanisms involved in the toxicity induced by acute fluoride exposure in the duodenum. Neurotoxicity Research, March 10, 2021.