Fluoride in Drinking Water Linked to Lower IQ Scores in Children

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Medical Daily.

A new study adds to rising concerns about the impact of fluoride in drinking water. Researchers found a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ scores in children, restarting the debate over the safety of fluoride in public water supplies.

The latest study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reviewed 74 studies across 10 countries, on the effects of fluoride in water on children’s IQ levels and found a statistically significant link between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ scores in children.

Researchers at the government’s National Toxicology Program who conducted the study noted that even a slight increase in fluoride levels in urine—such as an increase of 1 mg/L—was associated with a 1.63-point decrease in IQ. Measuring fluoride in urine helps assess total fluoride intake.

“This systematic review and meta-analysis found inverse associations and a dose-response association between fluoride measurements in urine and drinking water and children’s IQ across the large multi-country epidemiological literature,” the researchers wrote.

Even though the decrease in cognitive health may seem slight, the impact is significant on a wider scale, the researchers noted. “A 5-point decrease in a population’s IQ would nearly double the number of people classified as intellectually disabled,” they wrote.

However, the researchers do not recommend removing fluoride from drinking water based on their findings.

Source: Medical Daily
https://www.medicaldaily.com/fluoride-drinking-water-linked-lower-iq-scores-children-study-reveals-472933