Health & FitStudy prompts call for lower fluoride consumption by pregnant women

(Reuters Health) - Adding fluoride to the water supply prevents tooth decay, but women who drink fluoridated water during pregnancy may also trim the IQs of their male children by a few points, according to a Canadian study that suggests a serious drawback to a long-established public health intervention.

© petrunjela/Getty Images

The study in JAMA Pediatrics looked at fluoride consumption by pregnant women and the effect on their babies by age 3 or 4. It did not examine whether drinking fluoridated water or getting the mineral from other sources after birth suppresses a child's intelligence.

The effect was clear for boys. Girls, on the other hand, showed an increase in I.Q., but it wasn't statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance. The gender difference may reflect the fact and male and female brains may develop differently, the researchers said.

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If it is determined that a topical fluoride treatment is needed to minimize the effects of erosion, fluoride varnish Pregnancy Risk Categories10. Category A. Controlled studies show no risk. Adequate well-controlled studies in pregnant women have not shown increased risk of fetal abnormalities

Fluoridation was sold to Americans by none other than the father of public relations himself, Edward Bernays — a nephew of Sigmund Freud, who The ADA declined to state why the study ’s findings were not applicable to pregnant women in the United States, given that fluoride consumption in the

For the typical mother-to-be living in a community that adds fluoride to the drinking water, the decline in IQ was 1.5 points (for boys only) or 2.3 points, depending on how fluoride exposure was measured.

"We're talking about the fetus and right now there is absolutely no benefit derived for the fetus" from fluoride, senior author Christine Till of York University in Toronto told Reuters Health in a telephone interview. "If anything, there is a potential for risk."

Thus, she said, the idea of limiting fluoride during pregnancy is "a no brainer" - and a major source is fluoridated water.

Fluoride only protects against cavities when applied directly to the tooth enamel, so there is no benefit to a baby until the child's teeth have appeared.

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Although the study accurately measured how much fluoride was in each mother's urine samples, it could not pin The mothers in this study did not have fluoride added to their water. In Mexico, fluoridated salt is the main way that women get salt into their diet, says Hu, unlike in the U.S., where

Fluoride is not added to public water supplies in Mexico, but people are exposed through naturally occurring fluoride in water and fluoridated salt and What the new research means for pregnant women in the United States is up in the air. Hu cautioned that this was just one study . "It needs to be

Based on the new results, and other research from Mexico City which found a similar decline in I.Q., "The hypothesis that fluoride is a neurodevelopmental toxicant must now be given serious consideration," said David Bellinger of Boston Children's Hospital in an editorial.

Adding fluoride to drinking water to promote dental health has been a fixture of municipal drinking water systems as far back as the 1950s. About two thirds of people in the U.S. now have tap water that is fluoridated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rates are lower in other countries.

The mineral is also added to toothpaste, which most people spit out after use but children often swallow. Labeling beverages for fluoride is required in Canada but not in the U.S. and other countries.

Other studies have also suggested that fluoride poses this type of risk. Mexican research published in 2017 in found that fluoride consumption produced lower I.Q. scores at age 4 and in older children age 6 to 12. The Canadian study, involving 100 women and their children from 6 major cities, was an attempt to clarify the issue.

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The story comes from a study looking at fluoride levels in different brands of tea, including leading supermarket economy products. The study found that economy ‘own-brand’ supermarket tea contains, on average, higher levels of fluoride than more expensive brands.

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Dr. Bellinger said the I.Q. decline seen in the new study is comparable to what other tests have shown.

Study coauthor Angeles Martinez-Mier, a fluoridation expert and a professor at the Indiana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis, said that although pregnant women should reduce their fluoride intake, for everyone else, "we don't have enough information to make policy recommendations, so you should stick with what you have," including leaving fluoridation in place.

She also said fluoride might come from different sources, depending on the region. In Mexico, the main source is fluoridated salt. In the U.S., in addition to fluoridated water, the mineral is found in tea, processed meats, sardines, grapes and raisins.

There's also the problem of cost. "Not all women have the means to pay for bottled water and that is a concern to me as a public health dentist," Dr. Martinez-Mier said.

If pregnant women decide to eliminate fluoridated water, "then they should take care of their teeth by reducing sugar and use other forms of topical fluorides that aren't ingested," Pamela Den Besten, a dentist at the University of California San Francisco, who was not involved in the research, told Reuters Health in an email.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/30ixD3V and http://bit.ly/30t0DWI JAMA Pediatrics, online August 19, 2019.

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Walking may increase fertility after miscarriage

Regular physical activity helps women become pregnant. But according to a new study, walking would be particularly beneficial for fertility, especially for women who have experienced one or more miscarriages.

Walking for increase his chances of procreating ? This is suggested by a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction according to which this physical exercise can promote fertility, especially after miscarriage. If we already knew that a balanced diet and regular physical activity boost fertility, walking would have an added advantage over other sports, according to University of Massachusetts researchers who led 'study.

The research focused on the study of the medical records of 1213 women between 18 and 40 years old. All participants were in good health, but had 1 or 2 miscarriages before they managed to fall pregnant again. The authors of the study took into account several parameters of their lifestyle, including the nature of the physical exercises practiced by these women.

Walking for more than 4 hours a week © Getty Images Walking can boost fertility after miscarriage

The first important information that emerges from this study is that women who reported more than 4 hours per week of physical activity rigorous had significantly higher chances of pregnancy than women who do not or very little sport.

"One of our main findings is that there was no direct link between most types of physical activity and the probability of getting pregnant for women who had had one or two interrupted pregnancies, except for market, "said Lindsey Russo, lead author of the study.

This increase in fecundability has been shown to be greater in obese and overweight women, the authors of the study say. The higher the body mass index, the greater the effects of walking on fecundability. Thus, a 10-minute walk in obese women would greatly increase their chances of getting pregnant. The causal relationship among women with BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg · m was, on the other hand, lower.

Reducing Alcohol and Tobacco Use

Researchers, however, are tempering the results of their study by pointing out that other lifestyle factors such as a balanced diet, and reduced consumption of alcohol and tobacco are contributing factors. certainly to promote fertility. "Lifestyle is certainly more relevant to these outcomes because it can have an effect at the molecular level, what we eat and what we do are potential factors that we can change to shape our health," says Brian Withcomb. , co-author of the study.

And of course, regular physical activity is essential for staying healthy, whether you're trying to get pregnant or not.