Fluoride Deficiency
Recommended Daily Allowance of Fluoride
The recommended daily allowance was established by the food and nutrition board, and is used for the general term of reference for a healthy diet. These guidelines include the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy individuals. The adequate intake established when evidence is insufficient to develop and recommended daily allowance, but is still set to allow for a person to get nutritional adequacy.
The adequate intake of fluoride, according to the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of National Academies is the following: age zero to six months male 0.01 mg / per day, age zero to six months female 0.01 mg / per day, age seven months to twelve months male 0.5 mg /per day, age seven months to twelve months female 0.5 mg / per day, age one year to three years male 0.7 mg / per day, age one year to three years female 0.7 mg / per day, age four years to eight years male 1.0 mg / per day, age four years to eight years female 1.0 mg / per day, age nine years to thirteen years male 2.0 mg / per day, age nine years to thirteen years female 2.0 mg / per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years male 3.0 mg / per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female 3.0 mg / per day, age eighteen years and older male 4.0 mg per day, and age fourteen years and older female 3.0 mg / per day.
There has been some debate regarding what is the right amount of fluoride a person needs in their diet. This debate has caused there to be new panels created to look at the recommended adequate intake of fluoride. The standards listed above of the daily adequate intake were created just about twenty years ago. Since that time a panel came together and considered lowering the adequate amount of fluoride that the body really needs. The panel concluded that the adequate daily intake be lowered from 4.0 mg / per day, to a lower amount. The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine and National Academies still hasn’t adjusted their daily recommend adequate intake.
The physical condition of an individual can also influence the total amount of fluoride their body requires. There are other roles which can influence the proper amount of fluoride which the body needs. Such as gender, age, and the location of the country in which an individual lives—there are different amounts of naturally occurring fluoride at different locations in the United States. Each person is an individual, and each person will have a different set of needs to consider. It is best to consult a health care professional before starting increasing or decreasing the amount of fluoride a person has in their daily diet.
Fluoride Deficiency
A deficiency of fluoride in the United State is very rare. The United States has been adding fluoride to the water supply in an effort to improve the oral hygiene of the nation. While many have credited the fluoridation of water as a great achievement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century,” there are others who believe that the fluoridation of water is simply unjustified and unneeded.
Since the levels of fluoride deficiency is at an all time low many believe there isn’t a reason to continue adding fluoride to the water supplies. These same critics point to the fact that many of the water supplies already have an adequate amount of fluoride, and that new information is indicating that many of the water supplies might have too high of a concentration of fluoride. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report recommending that the total amount of fluoride in the water supplies be reduced.
Fluoride Toxicity
Pure fluoride can actually be quite dangerous for humans. In high concentrations fluoride can be toxic if it comes into contact with human skin or eyes. A lethal dosage can actually occur when a person comes into contact with between one and ten grams of fluoride. There is a formula for determining the lethal dosage for a person; it is approximately 28 mg per kilogram of body mass.
One of the major causes of fluoride poisoning occurs through the digestion of toothpaste. Fluoride has been shown to help prevent and treat tooth decay in humans. For this reason companies, starting in the 1970’s, started to add fluoride to the dental care products. The obvious product which received fluoride was tooth paste. Manufactures of tooth paste also wanted to make the tooth paste taste better, for an all around better experience when a person is brushing their teeth. This addition of artificial flavors is especially true among children’s toothpaste. Smaller children usually have a much more difficult time brushing their teeth, and companies found that adding “fun kid flavors” would help the children to brush more often.
The problem with the addition of kid friendly flavors was that children would simply start eating the toothpaste. This epidemic of children digesting larger amounts of toothpaste led to many children dying due to fluoride poisoning. The death of children led to changes in the way that toothpastes were made for children. Now there are lesser levels of fluoride in children’s toothpaste, and there are also harsher guidelines for the use of toothpaste.
In 1997, the United States Food and Drug Administration required all fluoride toothpastes sold in the United States to carry the following warning: “Warning: Keep out of the reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately. Potentially fatal dose = 5 mg of fluoride per kg of bodyweight.”
Dental Fluorosis
While the debate continues on whether or not it is right, moral, or simply smart, to add fluoride into the water supply, there is a single problem which generally accepted when the levels of fluoride in water is too high—dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis is a condition which normally affects the teeth of smaller children, and will usually alter the teeth of children during their development years. The longer term effect of dental fluorosis is usually very mild, and usually will only affect a person aesthetically. Most of these effects, which come from dental fluorosis, can be corrected thanks to advancements in modern orthodontics.
Other Adverse Effects from Too Much Fluoride
There are other reported negative effects which can occur from too much fluoride, over the recommended adequate daily intake, for a long period of time. Many of these studies are in doubt due to the volatile nature of opinions regarding the fluoridation of water.
Many people have strong opinions that the fluoridation of water is actually some type of communist or socialist plot against the United States. These people believe that the idea of doing something for the general good of the overall public actually infringes on their personal liberties to live their own lives. These political opinions can often lead many people to publish erroneous information on both sides of the water fluoridation debate. So any information about the benefits or adverse effects of fluoride needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
There have been studies and reports which indicate that excess in fluoride consumption can lead to the weakening of bones in the body. This information was first made known when researchers were testing whether or not adding fluoride to the body would help calcium in the body to fortify bones. In many of the studies the researchers found that the addition of supplemental fluoride actually caused a weakening effect on the bones in the body. This weakening of the bones can lead to many medical conditions later in life.
The kidney was the source of one of the medical studies. In research done on over fluoridation, there was some evidence which indicated that fluoride might have a negative effect on the kidney. The kidneys of those people taking a supplemented amount of fluoride would become impaired, and that would leave those individuals more susceptible to very damaging physical ailments.
There are also some researchers claiming that taking too much fluoride can lead to chromosomal damage. This damage of the chromosomes in the body can lead to the problems during DNA synthesis. This can lead to birth defects in children, and in the development of certain types of cancer. These studies have come under extreme scrutiny due to the testing methods used, and due to the lack of duplication (duplication is a scientific standard of experimentation—if a study cannot be duplicated, using the exact same sets of standards, in a different location by a different groups of researchers, then the study falls under more scrutiny, and at times even fails).
One of the claims made during four epidemiological studies is there may exist a correlation between increased fluoride usage and low IQs. These studies also came under intense scrutiny due because they refused to publish key information about the studies. There is no information outside of these studies which indicate there would be any correlation between the addition of fluoride into drinking water, and a lowering of IQs. There are some who theorize that damage done to the thyroid, due to over fluoridation, may be to blame for the adverse test results.
In recent studies there has been a connection made with too much fluoride, and too little iodine, causing damage to the thyroid gland. There is once again debate over the veracity of the techniques used in the study, but there were signs that too much fluoride and too little iodine can lead to larger health problems involving the thyroid.
Defense of Fluoridation
Those defending the use of fluoride in the drinking water would point to the betterment of oral hygiene, and the benefits which come from less diseases of the mouth. In history many deaths can be connected to poor oral hygiene. In fact one of the best advancements in prolonging a person’s life expectancy was the creation of the toothbrush. The numbers of people dying due to disease which began in the mouth due to poor dental hygiene was really shocking.
The addition of fluoride to drinking water was an effort to help those individuals who don’t have access to any form of dental care. This practice is reported to help prevent one cavity from forming in a person’s mouth per year.
There is still a great debate over whether the benefits in oral health is worth the potential risk involved in putting fluoride in the water supply, especially due to the concern over fluorides toxic nature when it is in its pure form.
More research will surely be produced, and more panels will convene to discuss the different option for the future of water fluoridation. Until that time it appears that many people will continue to benefit from having a little fluoride in their drinking water.
Getting Enough Fluoride in a Diet
Thanks to the fluoridation of water systems in the United States, it isn’t recommended that a person add any additional fluoride supplementation to their normal diet. The fluoride in the water supplies should be enough to help a person towards the prevention of cavities. Yet, like fluoridation in water, it is a good idea to supplement a diet with important vitamins and minerals which the body needs to function.
The best way to get the right amount of nutrients in the body is through a proper diet. A healthy low fat diet which includes fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats is usually enough, depending on the health of the individual, to get all of the essential vitamins and minerals the body requires.
Yet, the simple truth is very few people actually eat a full enough diet not to be lacking an essential vitamin and mineral. When the body is lacking an essential vitamin or mineral it will not function properly. The other problem is many of the essential vitamins and minerals, like potassium for example, cannot be easily stored in the human body. The body needs a constant daily intake of some essential vitamins and minerals.
The best way to ensure the body gets the nutrients it needs is by taking a reputable daily multivitamin. A good daily multivitamin will help to fill in the gaps of a normal healthy diet. The multivitamin will also help to bridge the deficiencies which occur due to changing health issues.
When looking for a good multivitamin look for one which is gender specific. Why? There are two major reasons. First, males and females need different amounts of vitamins and minerals. A gender specific vitamin will be able to give more of the vitamins and minerals which males and females normally struggle to obtain. Second, there are many sub par vitamin manufactures. For the health of the person taking the vitamin it is important to find a manufacture which is reputable. A manufacture with differing vitamins for males and females is a helpful indication of their legitimacy—although it is always recommended to investigate any vitamin company before making a purchase.
