Oh, Those Pearly Whites
Of course, that means we’ll be learning about something related to your teeth today – specifically what fluoride does to and/or for you. Loyal Reader’s been very active this month. This is one of his suggestions. Thanks, Loyal Reader.
Let’s start at the beginning as usual. What is fluoride and why is it supposed to be good for us; maybe we should first narrow that one down to what is fluoride. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements:
“Fluoride, a mineral, is naturally present in many foods and available as a dietary supplement. Fluoride is the ionic form of the element fluorine, and it inhibits or reverses the initiation and progression of dental caries (tooth decay) and stimulates new bone formation ….”
Down the rabbit hole we go! What’s fluorine mean? Ionic? I turned to Chemicool for help here since I knew I was out of my element [Get it? Element? Periodic Table?]:
“Fluorine is a pale yellow, diatomic, highly corrosive, flammable gas, with a pungent odor.”
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want that in my body. Maybe ionic ameliorates the fluorine in some way. I was so lost that I immediately turned to my old favorite the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for the definition of ‘ion,’ since the ‘ic’ suffix just means of or about.
“an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons.”
But wait a minute. Do we know how fluorine turns into fluoride? ThoughtCo., a site devoted to science, tech, and math explains:
“ Fluorine is a chemical element. In pure form, it is a highly toxic, reactive, yellowish-green gas. The fluorine anion [Remember the anion gap on your blood tests?] F–, or any of the compounds containing the anion are termed fluorides. When you hear about fluoride in drinking water, it comes from adding a fluorine compound (usually sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, or fluorosilicic acid) to drinking water, which dissociates to release the F– ion. Stable fluorides are also found in fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash.”
Well, does it work? The ever trustworthy Cleveland Clinic answers the question:
“Fluoride, a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods and water, helps prevent tooth decay. Fluoride reverses early decay and remineralizes your tooth enamel. While fluoride can be harmful in large quantities, it’s difficult to reach toxic levels due to the low amount of fluoride in over-the-counter products like toothpastes and mouth rinses.”
Got it, but there’s one thing you may not be aware of and that’s what Loyal Reader brought to my attention via Mount Sinai Hospital’s School of Medicine:
“… a child’s body excretes only 45 percent of fluoride in urine via the kidneys, while an adult’s body clears it at a rate of 60 percent, and the kidneys accumulate more fluoride than any other organ in the body.
‘While the dental benefits of fluoride are widely established, recent concerns have been raised regarding the appropriateness of its widespread addition to drinking water or salt in North America,’ said the study’s first author Ashley J. Malin, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. ‘This study’s findings suggest that there may be potential kidney and liver health concerns to consider when evaluating fluoride use and appropriate levels in public health interventions.’”
An article in Sage Journal [It’s really for healthcare professionals] offered additional information:
“During the last few decades, the role of kidney in the metabolism and elimination of fluoride from the body has been researched and documented to some extent…. Consumption of optimal amount of fluoride in drinking water or diet does not increase the risk of developing CKD in humans…and this has been proven using animal studies too….At the same time, it is repeatedly proven that an impaired kidney negatively affects the metabolism as well as excretion of fluoride from the kidney, leading to further damage to the kidneys…. Therefore, especially people with kidney disorders should avoid consumption of excess amounts of fluorides either through drinking water or other sources such as food, drugs, or toothpaste… “
I kept reading articles that mentioned fluoride is available in food. Which food? I’d never run across this statement before researching for this week’s blog. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health provided a list:
“Trace amounts of fluoride are found naturally in various foods, though people obtain most fluoride from fluoridated water and toothpastes. Brewed black tea and coffee naturally contain fluoride as the plants absorb the mineral in soil. Shellfish may contain fluoride that collects in their shells and muscles.
- Brewed black tea and coffee
- Fluoridated water
- Canned shellfish like shrimp and blue crab
- Oatmeal
- Raisins
- Potatoes”
Fascinating! The things I learn writing this blog are amazing. But I did want to know exactly how the kidneys were affected. Luckily, The National Library of Medicine could help, although this seems to have the opposite point of view from the article in the Sage Journal:
“With the exception of the pineal gland, the kidney is exposed to higher concentrations of fluoride than all other soft tissues. Therefore, exposure to higher concentrations of fluoride could contribute to kidney damage, ultimately leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Among major adverse effects on the kidneys from excessive consumption of fluoride are immediate effects on the tubular area of the kidneys, inhibiting the tubular reabsorption; changes in urinary ion excretion by the kidneys disruption of collagen biosynthesis in the body, causing damages to the kidneys and other organs; and inhibition of kidney enzymes, affecting the functioning of enzyme pathways.”
Before you become worried, notice it’s excessive exposure to fluoride that causes the problem. Stage 3B or not, I have never noticed any effects of fluoride in my body. Nor have any of my doctors, including my nephrologist. Rest easy but bring this up to your nephrologist if you find this information upsetting.
Until next week,
Keep living your life!
- Black Tea
- chronic kidney disease
- CKD
- Cleveland Clinic
- Diet
- Fluoride
- Fluorine
- Ion
- Kidneys
- Liver
- metabolism
- National Institutes of Health
- National Library of Medicine
- Shellfish
- supplements
- Teeth
- Tubules
- Uncategorized
- Urine
on September 11, 2023 at 9:11 am Comments (1)
Tags: SlowItDownCKD 2011, SlowItDownCKD 2012, SlowItDownCKD 2013, SlowItDownCKD 2014, SlowItDownCKD 2015, SlowItDownCKD 2016, SlowItDownCKD 2017, SlowItDownCKD 2018, SlowItDownCKD 2019, SlowItDownCKD 2020, SlowItDownCKD 2021, SlowItDownCKD 2022
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