Harvard Study Confirms Fluoride Reduces Children's IQ

Harvard Study Confirms Fluoride Reduces Children's IQ



By Dr. Mercola
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A recently published Harvard University meta-analysis funded by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded that children who live
in areas with highly fluoridated water have "significantly lower" IQ
scores than those who live in low fluoride areas.

In a 32-page report that can be downloaded free of charge from Environmental Health Perspectives,¹ the researchers said:

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"A recent report from the U.S. National Research Council (NRC 2006)²
concluded that adverse effects of high fluoride concentrations in
drinking water may be of concern and that additional research is
warranted. Fluoride may cause neurotoxicity in laboratory animals, including effects on learning and memory…

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To summarize the available literature, we performed a systematic
review and meta-analysis of published studies on increased fluoride
exposure in drinking water and neurodevelopmental delays. We
specifically targeted studies carried out in rural China that have not
been widely disseminated, thus complementing the studies that have been
included in previous reviews and risk assessment reports...

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Findings from our meta-analyses of 27 studies published over 22
years suggest an inverse association between high fluoride exposure and
children's intelligence... The results suggest that fluoride may be a
developmental neurotoxicant that affects brain development at exposures
much below those that can cause toxicity in adults...

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Serum-fluoride concentrations associated with high intakes from
drinking-water may exceed 1 mg/L, or 50 Smol/L, thus more than
1000-times the levels of some other neurotoxicants that cause
neurodevelopmental damage. Supporting the plausibility of our findings,
rats exposed to 1 ppm (50 Smol/L) of water-fluoride for one year showed
morphological alterations in the brain and increased levels of aluminum
in brain tissue compared with controls...

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In conclusion, our results support the possibility of adverse effects of fluoride exposures on children's neurodevelopment.

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Future research should formally evaluate dose-response relations
based on individual-level measures of exposure over time, including more
precise prenatal exposure assessment and more extensive standardized
measures of neurobehavioral performance, in addition to improving
assessment and control of potential confounders."

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Studies have Repeatedly Linked Fluoride to Reduced IQ and Brain Damage


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There are so many scientific studies showing the direct, toxic effects of fluoride
on your body, it's truly remarkable that it's NOT considered a
scientific consensus by now. Despite the evidence against it, fluoride
is still added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water supplies.

It amazes me that the medical (and dental) communities are so
stubbornly resistant to connect the dots when it comes to the
skyrocketing increase of cognitive decline in adults, and behavioral
issues in children (ADD, ADHD, depression and learning disabilities of
all kinds). In fact, there have been over 23 human studies and 100
animal studies linking fluoride to brain damage.³ Fluoride can also increase manganese absorption, compounding problems since manganese in drinking water has also been linked to lower IQ in children.

Reported effects of fluoride on your brain include:

Reduction in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors	Damage to your hippocampus	Formation of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic brain abnormality in Alzheimer's disease)
Reduction in lipid content	Damage to purkinje cells	Exacerbation of lesions induced by iodine deficiency
Impaired antioxidant defense systems	Increased uptake of aluminum	Accumulation of fluoride in your pineal gland

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Six Facts You Need to Know About Water Fluoridation


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Harmful Effects have Been Known for Half a Century...


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What is perhaps most surprising is that the harmful effects of
fluoride have been known by conventional medical organizations for over
half a century. For example, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
stated in their September 18, 1943 issue that fluorides are general
protoplasmic poisons that change the permeability of the cell membrane
by certain enzymes. And, an editorial published in the Journal of the
American Dental Association, October 1, 1944, stated:

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"Drinking water containing as little as 1.2 ppm fluoride will
cause developmental disturbances. We cannot run the risk of producing
such serious systemic disturbances. The potentialities for harm outweigh
those for good."

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Part of the problem is that it's an accumulative toxin that,
over time, can lead to significant health problems that are not
immediately linked to fluoride over-exposure. In a 2005 paper entitled "Fluoride—A Modern Toxic Waste," Lita Lee, Ph.D. writes:⁴

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"Yiamouyiannis' book, "Fluoride, The Aging Factor," documents the
cumulative effect of tissue damage by fluoride, commonly seen as aging
(collagen damage), skin rashes and acne, gastrointestinal disorders, and
many other conditions, including osteoporosis. The U.S. Center for
Disease Control and the Safe Water Foundation reported that 30,000 to
50,000 excess deaths occur in the United States each year in areas in
which the water contains only one ppm fluoride.

... Fluoride suppresses the immune system: Fluoride
inhibits the movement of white blood cells by 70%, thereby decreasing
their ability to reach their target. Yiamouyiannis cites 15 references
in his pamphlet, Lifesavers Guide to Fluoridation, that document
immunosuppressive effects of as little as 10% of the amount of fluoride
used in fluoridated water... Immunosuppressive effects run the gamut,
from a cold that won't go away to increased risk of cancer and other
infectious diseases."

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Studies have shown that fluoride toxicity can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including:

Increased lead absorption	Disrupts synthesis of collagen	Hyperactivity and/or lethargy	Muscle disorders
Thyroid disease	Arthritis	Dementia	Bone fractures
Lowered thyroid function	Bone cancer (osteosarcoma)	Inactivates 62 enzymes and inhibits more than 100	Inhibited formation of antibodies
Genetic damage and cell death	Increased tumor and cancer rate	Disrupted immune system	Damaged sperm and increased infertility

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Suppressed Science: Fluoride Link to Cancer


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Long-lost research linking fluoride to cancer has resurfaced in a
Dutch film clip featuring Dr. Dean Burk, who in 1937 co-founded the US
National Cancer Institute (NCI) and headed its cytochemistry department
for over 30 years. In the taped interview, he equates water fluoridation
to "public murder," referring to a study that had been done on the 10
largest U.S. cities with fluoridation compared to the 10 largest without
it.

The study clearly demonstrated that deaths from cancer abruptly rose
in as little as a year or two after fluoridation began. This and other
studies linking fluoride to cancer were government-ordered but were
quickly buried once fluoride was found to be linked to dramatic
increases in cancer.


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Join the Fight to Get Fluoride Out of Drinking Water


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There's no doubt about it: Fluoride should not be ingested. At least
when it comes to topical application, you have a choice. You can easily
buy fluoride-free toothpaste and mouthwash. But you're stuck with
whatever your community puts in the water, and it's very difficult to
filter out of your water once it's added. Many do not have the resources
or the knowledge to do so.

The only real solution is to stop the archaic practice of water
fluoridation in the first place. Fortunately, the Fluoride Action
Network⁵ has a game plan to END water fluoridation in both Canada and the United States.

I urge you to join the anti-fluoride movement in Canada and United States by contacting the representative for your area below.

Contact Information for Canadian Communities:

1. If you live in Ontario, Canada, please join the ongoing effort by contacting Diane Sprules at diane.sprules@cogeco.ca.
   
2. The point-of-contact for Toronto, Canada is Aliss Terpstra. You may email her at aliss@nutrimom.ca.
   

Contact Information for American Communities:

We're also going to address three US communities: Portland, Wichita, and Phoenix:

1. Portland, Oregon: Even though residents have
   voted down fluoridation three separate times, the pro-fluoride lobbying
   is now working to influence city councilors to ignore the public and
   pass fluoridation without another vote. If you live in the Portland
   area, please contact FAN's Oregon point person, Kimberly Kaminski. You
   can email her at kim@safewateroregon.org.
   Portland residents will be battling a very well financed campaign by
   the ADA, Delta Dental and the PEW Charitable Trust. Please consider
   making a donation to Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water.
   
2. Witchita, Kansas: The pro-fluoride lobby has
   also targeted Wichita for forced fluoridation. If you live in Kansas
   and would like to help protect the safety of the citiy's drinking
   water, please contact Fluoride Free Kansas at fluoridefreekansas.org/contact-us
   
3. Phoenix, Arizona -- The city council is reassessing their fluoridation program.
   The issue was raised by Councilman Tom Simplot and local
   fluoride-free campaigners. The city currently spends more than
   $500,000 annually on fluoridation, and currently joins only 9 other
   Arizona communities in fluoridating their water. The city council is
   expected to study the issue and meet on September 11, when it will hold
   further hearings and decide the fate of the practice. If you live in
   the Phoenix area and would like to get involved, please contact FAN's Phoenix coordinator.
   

Source:-
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/14/fluoride-effects-in-children.aspx

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