Study Finds Link Between Water Fluoridation And Diabetes

 By Derrick Broze 

A recent mathematical model study has found a potential link between water fluoridation and type 2 diabetes. A study from Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University School of  Medicine used mathematical modeling to discover a connection between  water fluoridation and a rise in diabetes in the United States between  2005 and 2010. The study, Community  water fluoridation predicts increase in age-adjusted incidence and  prevalence of diabetes in 22 states from 2005 and 2010, was published in the Journal of Water and Health  in late May. The study investigated the hypothesis that added water  fluoridation has contributed to diabetes incidence and prevalence in the  United States.  Kyle Fluegge, author of the paper, concluded that  “community water fluoridation is associated with epidemiological  outcomes for diabetes.” Medical Daily reported on the study: 

The recent study reveals that fluoridation with sodium  fluoride could be a contributing factor to the prevalence of diabetes in  the United States, as the chemical is a known preservative of blood  glucose. Type 2 diabetes is a growing epidemic in the country with  incidence rates quadrupling in the past 32 years. In the study, the sole  author of the paper, Kyle Fluegge, used mathematical models to analyze  publicly available data on fluoride water levels and diabetes incidence. ‘The models look at the outcomes of [diabetes] incidence and prevalence being predicted by both natural and added fluoride,’ said Fluegge,  who performed the study as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of  Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University  School of Medicine.

 When examining diabetes rates across 22 states, the study found a one  milligram increase in average county fluoride levels predicted a 0.17  percent increase in age-adjusted diabetes prevalence. The study suggests  that adding fluoride additives to water was “significantly associated  with increases in diabetes between 2005 and 2010.” Interestingly, the  link to diabetes was different depending on the type of fluoride  additive used. The substances known by the name fluoride which are added  to municipal water supplies are actually a combination of unpurified  by-products of phosphate mining, namely hydrofluorosilicic acid, sodium fluorosilicate, and sodium fluoride. When sodium fluoride and sodium fluorosilicate were used the increase  in diabetes was observed. However,  fluorosilicic acid was associated  with decreases in diabetes. Counties that do not add fluoride products,  but instead rely only on naturally occurring calcium fluoride also  maintained lower diabetes rates. Fluegge observed the positive link when  he adjusted fluoride exposure levels to account for an estimated amount  of tap water consumption per individual.    “The models present an interesting conclusion that the association of  water fluoridation to diabetes outcomes depends on the adjusted per  capita consumption of tap water,” Fluegge said.  “Only using the concentration [of added fluoride] does not produce a  similarly robust, consistent association.” This was the reason why  Fluegge adjusted his calculations to incorporate tap water consumption  rather than choosing the calculations that relied on “parts per million”  measurements of fluoride in the water. Fluegge says he does not believe the study should change water  fluoridation policies just yet, but that this should be a wake-up call  for more research on the association between water fluoridation and  diabetes. “This is an ecological study. This means it is not appropriate  to apply these findings directly to individuals,” stated Fluegge.  “These are population-level associations being made in the context of an  exploratory inquiry. And water is not the only direct source of  fluoride; there are many other food sources produced with fluoridated  water.” Fluegge is correct that the average person comes into contact with  fluoride products through showers, canned goods, pesticides, processed  foods, and fluoridated toothpaste. In the United States, the process of  purposefully lacing water with fluoride additives began in the 1940s.  Every year thousands of tons of fluorosilicic acid is recovered from  phosphoric acid plants and then used for water fluoridation. During this  process the fluoride ion is created. This process of taking waste from the phosphate industry and putting  it into drinking water has long been criticized for its effects on human  health, and that of the environment. It is well known that water  fluoridation has led to dental fluorosis for millions of children. This  discoloring of the teeth was called “cosmetically objectionable” by the  Centers for Disease Control. Beyond the cosmetic effect, there have been  a number of studies indicating health issues ranging from arthritis, brain problems, reduced thyroid or overactive  thyroid, kidney problems and bone cancers. While proponents of water fluoridation have long pointed to an  apparent drop in tooth decay in fluoridated nations as proof of its  validity, those claims have been proven wrong by the World Health  Organization. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated  the fluoride in the water is directly related to better teeth quality;  however, the WHO released its own study showing that tooth decay rates have dropped in all Western nations, whether fluoridated or not. In 2015, Truth In Media reported that the Cochrane Collaboration,  a global independent network of researchers, professionals, and  patients, reviewed the most comprehensive, well-designed and reliable  papers on fluoride, before analyzing and publishing their conclusion. According to Newsweek: 

The review identified only three studies since 1975—of  sufficient quality to be included—that addressed the effectiveness of  fluoridation in the population at large. These papers determined that  fluoridation does not reduce cavities to a statistically significant  degree, says study co-author Anne-Marie Glenny, a health science researcher at Manchester University in the United Kingdom. …. The scientists also found “insufficient evidence” that fluoridation  reduces tooth decay in adults (children excluded). “From the review,  we’re unable to determine whether water fluoridation has an impact on  caries levels in adults,” Glenny says.

 Trevor Sheldon, dean of the Hull York Medical School in the United Kingdom, conducted a review of water fluoridation  in 2000. Sheldon concluded that the process is not effective. “I had  assumed because of everything I’d heard that water fluoridation reduces  cavities but I was completely amazed by the lack of evidence,” he told Newsweek. “My prior view was completely reversed.” Sheldon points out that some studies have actually shown that when  water fluoridation was ceased, cavities went down a small percentage  among schoolchildren.  This includes a 2001 study of two British Columbia communities that was included in the Cochrane review. The Cochrane team also found that most studies confirming the  effectiveness of fluoridation were completed prior to the widespread use  of dental products such as mouth rinses and toothpastes. The study did  find evidence that fluoridation was linked to a 26 percent decrease in  cavities. However, this study was also done before the growth of modern  dentistry. The researchers write, “We have limited confidence in the  size of this effect due to the high risk of bias within the studies and  the lack of contemporary evidence.” In early June 2015, the Health Research Board (HRB) also released an in-depth review of the effects of water fluoridation. The review  was conducted at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health. After  examining all internationally peer-reviewed papers on the topic of  fluoride and health effects from 2006 to 2014, the HRB “found no  definitive evidence that community water fluoridation is associated with  positive or negative systemic health effects.” In February 2015, Anti Media reported on a study published in the BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health  which confirmed fluoride’s negative effect on the thyroid gland and a  possible connection to depression, weight gain, and other negative  health effects. Researchers with the University of Kent in England examined  thyroid activity for those in areas with fluoridated water and those  without. The team examined 95 percent of the English population in 2012  and 2013 and found high rates of underactive thyroid were 30% more  likely in areas with high fluoride concentration. An underactive thyroid  can lead to depression, weight gain, fatigue and aching muscles. 

 While the study confirms previous studies that showed fluoride  interferes with the production of iodine for the thyroid, some experts  believe the study is not conclusive. Prof David Coggon, Professor of  Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Southampton,  believed the observations could have been caused by some other variable.  “It is quite possible that the observed association is a consequence of  other ways in which the areas with higher fluoride differ from the rest  of the country,” he told the Telegraph. “There are substantially more rigorous epidemiological methods by which the research team could have tested their idea.” Beyond the health effects themselves, there seems to be a growing  conflict of interest between American health agencies and the publicly  available data on dangers associated with fluoride. In 2014 Truth In Media reported: 

Over 2000 pages of emails released under a Freedom of  Information Act request have uncovered an apparent conflict of interest  between the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the  American Dental Association (ADA) regarding water fluoridation. The  emails also contain an admission by the CDC that those with kidney issues will likely be adversely affected by the substance. From September 5th to the 8th the Fluoride Action Network held the 5th Citizens Conference on Fluoride  in Washington D.C. At the conference, Dan Stockin, MPH, released the  emails and declared that “These documents make it abundantly clear…..  the ADA and CDC Oral Health Division are the tweedledum and tweedledee  of fluoridation promotion. They work hand in hand (often at taxpayers’  expense) to spin the message in favor of fluoridation.” The 2500 pages contained emails  from 2011 between employees at the Oral Health Division of the CDC (the  only division at the CDC that deals with fluoridation) and the ADA, as  well as communications from the Department of Health and Human Services  (HHS). The Nidel Lawfirm helped in the efforts to get the emails released. A  statement from Nidel states that, “These documents raise questions  about the objectivity of individuals within these agencies and indicate a  need to get to the true motivations behind the lack of objectivity in  these organizations.”

 The reasons for opposing water fluoridation include: fear of a  variety of health concerns; the belief that the practice is  force-medicating the population without their approval; financial waste;  and environmental concerns related to phosphate mines where the  chemical is found. What are your thoughts? Should the American people have a choice  whether or not they pay for water fluoridation? Do you believe the  process is safe and should be continued? Derrick Broze is an investigative journalist and liberty activist. He is the Lead Investigative Reporter for ActivistPost.com and the founder of the TheConsciousResistance.com. Follow him on Twitter. Derrick is the author of three books: The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 1 and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 2
 Derrick is available for interviews. Please contact [email protected] This article may be freely reposted in part or in full with author attribution and source link.