Fluoride vs. Thyroid

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Naomi Parker

It’s the main ingredient in both our toothpaste and our water supply. We’re talking about fluoride. Since it’s in those two items it doesn’t seem very dangerous, right? Wrong. Fluoride can actually be very damaging to the endocrine system, especially the thyroid. A recent study1 has been done to show the correlation between the ingestion of fluoride and hypothyroidism. So what exactly is fluoride and why is it in our water?

What is Fluoride and Water Fluoridation?

Defining fluoride can get wordy and complicated, but to put it simply, fluoride is the negative ion of fluorine. Also, it’s important to point out that any organic or inorganic compound that contains that fluoride ion is known as a fluoride. This is the case when it comes to what’s in our water or better known as water fluoridation. Water fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to a public water supply. The claim is the addition helps reduce tooth decay. However, the fluoride being added to 90% of the United States drinking water is actually hydrofluoric acid (which, according to the definition, is still technically fluoride). Hydrofluoric acid is a compound of fluorine that is a byproduct of aluminum, steel, and cement.

What’s the Big Deal?

Fluoride doesn’t seem like a big deal because it is in things like drinking water and toothpaste which are classified as safe, but it’s a huge deal for your thyroid. In the early 20th century, fluoride was classified as a medicine, specifically an anti-thyroid drug. It was being prescribed to slow down the thyroid function in patients who suffered from hyperthyroidism, overactive thyroid. It did its job! Because fluoride and iodine (an essential element for proper thyroid function) are both halogens the fluoride can easily be mistaken as iodine and displace it. Research showed that the dose needed to lower the thyroid function was extremely low. The person only needed to ingest 2-5mg per day.

Fluoride isn’t Hurting Anyone, Right?

It can’t be a huge deal if tons of people are ingesting it and they don’t have hypothyroidism, right? Well, actually most developed countries don’t even use water fluoridation. About 97% of Western Europe drinks non-fluoridated water. While it flaunts the idea that it is good for your teeth and helps prevent tooth decay, according to the World Health Organization there is no discernible difference in tooth decay in countries with fluoride and countries without. It also points out that while there has been a decline in tooth decay in the United States (commonly attributed to fluoride in the water), the same decline is happening in other countries, as well.

On the other hand, what is being shown by the authors of Quality Outcome Framework is that there is a 50% increase of hypothyroidism in areas with high fluoridation. True, there are risk factors that need to be taken into consideration, but even after controlling the other risk factors the risk for hypothyroidism was doubled in an area that had high fluoridation compared to a region with low fluoridation.

Fluoride isn’t Hurting Anyone, Right?

It can’t be a huge deal if tons of people are ingesting it and they don’t have hypothyroidism, right? Well, actually most developed countries don’t even use water fluoridation. About 97% of Western Europe drinks non-fluoridated water. While it flaunts the idea that it is good for your teeth and helps prevent tooth decay, according to the World Health Organization there is no discernible difference in tooth decay in countries with fluoride and countries without. It also points out that while there has been a decline in tooth decay in the United States (commonly attributed to fluoride in the water), the same decline is happening in other countries, as well.

On the other hand, what is being shown by the authors of Quality Outcome Framework is that there is a 50% increase of hypothyroidism in areas with high fluoridation. True, there are risk factors that need to be taken into consideration, but even after controlling the other risk factors the risk for hypothyroidism was doubled in an area that had high fluoridation compared to a region with low fluoridation.

What Can be Done?

There is constant research being done on this topic by both sides; those that oppose fluoride and those that are pro-fluoride. So make sure you keep informed. Remember it’s always important to do your research. But don’t think that you have to continue putting this stuff in your body. There are alternatives. A good alternative to fluoridated toothpaste is “Tom’s of Maine”fluoride-free toothpaste. Also, if you want to cut back on the fluoride intake in your water, you can find low-fluoride water bottles. Let us know what you think about this fluoride debate in NAH