Curcumin ... A Potential Fluoride Shield

The Fluoridation of drinking water has been hailed as one of the greatest band-aid solutions *ahem* medical successes of the 20th Century. Despite increasing concerns that the popular distribution of fluoride in drinking water and food may result in adverse health effects (Cicek et al., 2005), the Dental Associations of the world (including the ADA) are unwavering in their defence of the process of water fluoridation. 


I don't question sodium fluoride's efficacy in the prevention and control of dental cavities. However, it seems that the focus on dental hygiene appears to be impairing the medical orthodoxy's ability to see the forest of greater human health risks including heart disease, obesity, depression and IQ deficits in children, for the trees. Fluoride ions can easily spread from the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract to the blood which means anyone concerned with more than just preventing cavities should be interested in methods of either reducing their consumption of the substance or counteracting it's effects.

The Wonder Spice?

Curcumin has a long history of use as a medicinal food due to it's anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemoprotective and chemotherapeutic activities. But recent research suggests that curcumin may also have genoprotective effects against sodium fluoride induced genotoxicity (Tiwari & Rao, 2010).

The Study ...

Several studies have attempted to evaluate exactly HOW protective curcumin is against the oxidative stress caused by fluoride in the kidneys of rats. According to the results, 1 week daily exposure with sodium fluoride at 600 ppm (parts per million) through drinking water caused abnormality in the kidneys of the rates. Without going into too much medical jargon, treatment with curcumin at doses of 10 and 20mg/kg (equivalent of 1.62mg & 3.24mg/kg of curcumin in humans) restored the activity of various enzymatic antioxidants and normalized other markers in the rat kidney tissues. 

The Take-Away:

Unlike the rats in this study, the Australian Dental Association only subjects us to drinking water that contains fluoride levels of 1ppm. However, lets take this in conjunction with products such as toothpaste, which contains between 1,000ppm and 1,450ppm of fluoride as well as almost anything we eat or drink (see http://www.fortcollinscwa.org/pages/fluoride.htm). 

Here, the relevance of this study becomes somewhat more poignant. I, for one, don't think that daily supplementation with a mere 275.4mg of curcumin (3.24mg*85kg for an average male) is a large price to pay for the benefits it seems to offer.

Naturally, more toxicological studies on this natural product are needed. However, the potent protective effects curcumin offers in a wide range of health-related areas makes it a product that should be a consistent staple in your spice rack. 

Note: Remember to always buy organic, even when it comes to herbs and spices to ensure you're getting the best quality product and the most 'bang-for-your-buck'!

References:


Nabavi, S. F., Moghaddam, A. H., Eslami, S., & Nabavi, S. M. (2012). Protective effects of curcumin against sodium fluoride-induced toxicity in rat kidneys. Biol Trace Elem Res, 145(3), 369-374.

Cicek, E., Aydin, G., Akdogan, M., Okutan, H. (2005). Effects of chronic ingestion of sodium fluoride on myocardium in a second generation of rats. Hum Exp Toxicol, 24, 79–87.


Tiwari, H., Rao, M. V. (2010). Curcumin supplementation protects from genotoxic effects of arsenic and fluoride. Food Chem Toxicol, 48(5),1234–1238.