Health
Fluoride exposure linked to ‘detrimental effects’ on health of pregnant women, infants
Fluoride has long been used as a dental health tool as a means of preventing cavities and fighting tooth decay — but now a new meta-analysis suggests it could have “detrimental effects” on the health of pregnant women and infants.
Researchers analyzed various studies, concluding that exposure to fluoride “offers little benefit to the fetus and young infant.”
Systemic fluoride exposure can have a harmful impact on bone strength, thyroid function and cognitive development, according to the findings, which were published in the Annual Review of Public Health.
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“Community-wide administration of systemic fluoride may pose an unfavorable risk–benefit ratio for the pregnant woman, fetus and infant,” reads the meta-analysis.
A new meta-analysis found that fluoride is toxic to early brain development, based on studies of pregnant women and infants. (iStock)
Philippe Grandjean, a researcher on the study and professor of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, told Fox News Digital that “fluoride is toxic to early brain development.”
“It is not dependent on the source of the fluoride,” Grandjean. “In addition to fluoridated drinking water, we need to limit ingestion of fluoridated toothpaste, which by itself is great for dental health, but don’t swallow it.”
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He recommended avoiding consumption of certain kinds of black tea – “especially those that are grown in fluoride-rich soils (e.g., East Africa and certain parts of China and India).”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear.
Fluoride has long been used as a dental health tool as a means of preventing cavities and fighting tooth decay. (iStock)
The review noted that with growing access to fluoride over the years, fluoride’s beneficial effect is predominantly topical, citing that there is no need for widespread community fluoridation.
During an appearance last week on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that “exposure to fluoride is dose-related.”
“In other words, the more fluoride you get, the lower your IQ is going to be … the benefits of fluoride are topical,” Kennedy added.
“Fluoride is toxic to early brain development,” said the lead researcher of the meta-analysis. (iStock)
“It was originally thought that when we put it in the water back in the 1940s that they were systemic,” he went on. “In other words, if you drank it, it would do something to your body to prevent growth of cavities. But that’s not how it works.”
The HHS secretary added that fluoride is associated with “with extreme losses in bone density.”
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More than 200 million Americans, or about 75% of the population, currently drink fluoridated water.
“The entire benefit of it comes from topical application … there’s really no reason to have it in the water supply in this era where we have toothpaste and mouthwashes,” Kennedy concluded.
“The more fluoride you get, the lower your IQ is going to be … the benefits of fluoride are topical,” Secretary Kennedy said on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.” (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
Kennedy said he plans to tell the CDC to stop recommending the addition of fluoride to drinking water, the Associated Press reported.
Utah recently became the first state to pass legislation banning fluoride in public drinking water.
Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law last month, a move that was applauded by those supporting the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
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Lawmakers in other states, including Ohio, South Carolina and Florida, have also submitted proposals to restrict local governments or water system operators from adding fluoride to water.
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Surviving cancer as a child or young adult may have a lasting impact on aging, new research suggests.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center looked at whether life-saving treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, could speed up biological aging.
They also aimed to determine whether this age acceleration was linked to cognitive issues related to memory, focus and learning.
The team analyzed blood samples from a group of 1,400 long-term survivors treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, using epigenetic clocks — tools that estimate biological age by examining chemical tags on DNA.
Biological age is determined based on damage the cells accumulate over time, versus chronological age, which is measured by how long someone has been alive, according to scientists.
Biological age is determined based on the damage cells accumulate over time, according to scientists. (iStock)
“These well-established aging-related biomarkers have previously been associated with neurocognitive impairment and decline in older non-cancer populations, particularly in cognitive domains related to aging and dementia, such as memory, attention and executive function,” the study stated.
Most of the group consisted of acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors, or Hodgkin lymphoma survivors. Participants were at least five years past their treatment, though some had survived for several decades.
They underwent neurocognitive testing to measure their attention span, memory and information processing speed.
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Chemotherapy was found to have the greatest impact on aging acceleration. The study suggests the treatment can alter DNA structure and cause cellular damage.
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“It’s no surprise to find out that young people with cancer who have chemo early in life are affected in terms of long-term aging,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, told Fox News Digital.
Participants underwent neurocognitive testing to measure their attention span, memory and speed of information processing. (iStock)
Researchers also found that cellular aging was closely linked to cognitive performance, as survivors of a higher biological age had more difficulty with memory and attention.
“Chemo poisons and damages cellular function — hopefully the cancer cells more than normal cells, but there is a significant impact on normal cells as well,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.
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“There is also something called ‘chemo brain,’ which causes at least temporary difficulty with memory, concentration, word finding and brain fog,” the doctor added.
The research team hopes to use these findings to focus on intervention efforts, specifically by determining when accelerated aging begins.
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“Young cancer survivors have many more decades of life to live,” lead study author AnnaLynn Williams, PhD, said in a press release. “If these accelerated aging changes are occurring early on and setting them on a different trajectory, the goal is to intervene to not only increase their lifespan, but improve their quality of life.”
The team hopes this research will help in the development of early intervention tools that aim to prevent cognitive decline. (iStock)
There were some limitations to the study. The researchers could not adjust for chronic health conditions or education because they are directly impacted by treatment.
Additionally, the study only looked at the survivors at a single point of time, so it could not directly prove causation.
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The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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