What does it do?
Fluoride is important for its role hardening both bones and tooth enamel, where it helps to prevent tooth decay.
What’s the story?
Fluoride is pretty unusual in that we get most of our fluoride from water and toothpaste, where it’s often added to help prevent tooth caries and decays. The discovery that drinking water high in fluoride could help dental health was a bit of a game-changer in the history of public health initiatives, and an estimated 64% of US water supplies are still fluoridated to this day.
Fun fact; Henri Moissan, the French chemist who first isolated fluorine, also produced the world’s first artificial diamonds by applying a hell of a lot of pressure to charcoal. Clearly a bit of a character, Henri was poisoned not once, but four times (!) during his initial experiments to isolate fluoride.
How much do I need?
There’s no RNI in the UK for fluoride, but in the US, the recommended adequate intake for adult women is 3 mg per day, rising to 4 mg per day for adult men. Too much fluoride can be toxic however, so supplements are not recommended.
What are good sources?
Our diet actually provides only about 25% of our total intake of fluoride –most is found in fluoridated water and toothpaste.
Other sources include seafood and tea.
Any ideas for using those ingredients?
Sardine and apple salad/scallops with pea puree/crayfish, lime and sundried tomato/stewed fruit in tea
References
British Nutrition Foundation (2021). Nutrition Requirements. Available here.
British Nutrition Foundation (2021). Vitamins and Minerals in our Food. Available here.
Mullen, J. (2005) History of Water Fluoridation. British Dental Journal. 199 (1-4). Available here.
United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library (2011). Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes for vitamins and elements. Available here. [accessed 6th July 2017].
Weeks, E. (1933) The Discovery of the Elements. J. Chem. Ed., Vol 9 No 11.