Fluoride is one of the essential elements in our modern-day toothpastes. This is the stuff that makes teeth pearly white and helps prevent tooth decay.
Fluoride is also one of the components present in America’s tap water.
However, most people don’t know about the significant dangers fluoride has. And this ignorance could pose some serious threats to people’s health if they’re not careful.
Here’s a list of six dangers fluoride presents:
#1: Fluoride Doesn’t Just Affect Teeth
Most toothpaste users and fluoride water drinkers assume the only thing that gets affected in these activities is their teeth. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, according to a recent scientific study, fluoride was shown to affect the bones, blood sugar, thyroid, brain, and more.
In fact, according to the study:
There have been over 34 human studies and 100 animal studies linking fluoride to brain damage,3 including lower IQ in children…”
The research went on to show that fluoride toxicity leads to a wide array of health issues involving (but not limited to):
- Increased absorption of lead
- Arthritis
- Fractured bones
- A higher risk of infertility
- A higher risk of tumors and cancer
- Dementia
…and so much more.
#2: The FDA Hasn’t Ok’d Fluoride Supplements
While doctors sometimes prescribe fluoride supplements to people who aren’t drinking fluoridated water, these supplements (which are originally given for tooth decay) have actually NOT been approved by the FDA.
#3: Other Health Issues Can Increase Fluoride Toxicity
Interestingly enough, existing conditions such as diabetes, nutrient deficiencies and kidney diabetes can actually increase the likelihood of fluoride toxicity.
This makes drinking fluoridated water (or using toothpaste containing fluoride) that much more dangerous for people exhibiting these conditions.
#4: Adding Fluoride To Water Isn’t Very Beneficial
It turns out that all this trouble of adding fluoride to America’s water really isn’t doing us much benefit.
According to Mercola:
It is now widely recognized that fluoride’s only justifiable benefit comes from topical contact with teeth, which even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged. Adding it to water and pills, which are swallowed, offers little, if any, benefit to your teeth.
Interestingly enough, other countries aren’t participating in this same practice. Statistics show that Americans drink more water containing fluoride than any every other country in the world combined.
#5: It Doesn’t Deserve The Marketing It Gets
The addition of fluoride to America’s water has been touted to be successful in reducing tooth decay. However, this doesn’t appear to be true.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no discernible difference in tooth decay between developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do not. The decline in tooth decay the US has experienced over the last 60 years, which is often attributed to fluoridated water, has likewise occurred in all developed countries (most of which do not fluoridate their water).”
#6: It’s Affecting Infants And Teens
According to Mercola, “About 40 percent of American teens have dental fluorosis, a condition that refers to changes in the appearance of tooth enamel that are caused by long-term ingestion of fluoride during the time teeth are forming. In some areas, fluorosis rates are as high as 70-80 percent, with some children suffering from advanced forms.”
Infants are also being affected; studies show that the more fluoridated water is added to their food and beverages, the more likely they will be to develop dental fluorosis.
In addition, infants consuming this water are also shown to have lower IQ scores later in life. As Mercola states:
…a Harvard University meta-analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that children who live in areas with highly fluoridated water have “significantly lower” IQ scores than those who live in low fluoride areas.5 A number of prominent dental researchers now advise that parents should not add fluoridated water to baby formula.
It has become incredibly obvious that everyone should become more aware of their fluoride consumption – both in water and toothpaste form.
By staying aware of fluoride consumption, Americans everywhere can reduce their chances of developing harmful side effects later on.
