Evidence Based

What Does Fluoride Do To The Brain?

Fluoride’s ability to damage the brain is one of the most active areas of fluoride research today. Giving us a clear path to the answer of, what does fluoride do to the brain?

With over 400 studies labelling fluoride as a neurotoxin (a chemical that can cause damage to the brain) there is plenty to learn about the relationship between fluoride and the brain.

What Does Fluoride Do To The Brain?

The likelihood of fluoride ingestion leading to detrimental brain effects is supported by vast research done on the human fetal brain, young children, and large amounts of animal research.

These studies have consistently demonstrated that fluoride, at widely different ranges, is toxic to the brain.

With three distinct consequences being observed.

brain health outcomes from fluoride exposure

With these kinds of characteristics, fluoride earned a place in the prestigious medical journal (The Lancet) as one of only 11 chemicals that are known to damage the developing brain.1

The researchers from Harvard University commented on their findings, “Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain”.2

But for us to jump further into the truth about fluoride and the brain, we have to look at the common brain effects caused by fluoride exposure.

What Effects Does Fluoride Have On The Brain?

Due to fluoride’s highly reactive nature, once it enters the body it begins to wreak havoc right away. 

Through the hundreds of studies conducted on fluoride’s ability to damage the brain, several different brain effects have been observed from fluoride exposure. 

brain effects from fluoride exposure

This vast destruction of different parts of the brain, not surprisingly leads to several different health outcomes. 

Examples Of How Fluoride Damages The Brain

1. Fluoride Is A Developmental Neurotoxin

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As briefly mentioned above, the study in the Lancet recommended that fluoride be classified as a developmental neurotoxin with the likes of lead, mercury, arsenic, PCBs, and toluene.1

As with fluoride, recent and emerging research it rightly puts it among developmental neurotoxins that are capable of causing various brain disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, and other cognitive impairments.46

2. Fluoride Reduces Intelligence

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To date, there are more than 64 studies that have linked fluoride to reduced IQ in both children and adults.47

However, until recently all of the research was correlational data.

That was, until the Bashash study. 

Not to forget, this is a study that was funded by the following U.S. agencies: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the EPA.

In this study, authors from several universities across Canada, the U.S, and Mexico, followed over 300 mother-child pairs in Mexico City for a 12-year period.

Uncovering a strong relationship between the mothers exposure to fluoride (measured through their urine) and lowered IQ in their offspring at 4 and again at 6-12 years of age.

Quote about fluoride by Dr. Howard Hu

The fluoride urine levels found in the pregnant women in the study are the same found in pregnant women in the U.S (0.5 to 1.5 ppm).

At those levels the authors concluded a loss of 6 IQ points.49

Now imagine a pregnant woman was also a regular tea drinker, and from the 329+ teas tested at fluoride in tea, we know that fluoride content in tea can reach two, three or even six times the amount of tap water…

Which makes you think, how much more would the child’s brain be affected?

Either way, it’s clear that previous studies provided strong correlations but the Bashash study made it simple.

If a young child was exposed to fluoride, it would damage the brain and result in reduced intelligence.

3. Impaired Capacity To Learn and Remember

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This effect solely comes from damage to the hippocampus

The part of the brain that plays a major role in learning and memory

This was observed when rats were exposed to NaF (i.e Sodium Fluoride, one of three forms of fluoride added to water) and neuronal deformations were observed to take place in the hippocampus.4

Then again in male mice, where the protein content of the mice brain was significantly reduced after being treated with fluoride for 90 days. Having fluoride inhibit the protein and mRNA expressions of insulin receptor (IR) in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb (OB).10

In other words, only bad news for the brain. 

4. Fluoride Impairs Pineal Gland Function

brain icon

The tiny, pinecone shaped gland that holds huge responsibility- it controls melatonin production throughout your body. 

Now fluoride has been proven to cross the blood brain barrier and accumulate in the pineal gland and crystallize it, causing it to become in/underactive.50

Once your pineal gland is compromised, it causes a domino effect in your body.

Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system that’s regulated by serotonin and melatonin, get compromised.

falling domino icon

This is why we have an article dedicated just to the pineal gland and fluoride

But we’ll continue a little more here. 

Besides being widely known as the sleep hormone, melatonin is a potent antioxidant that helps protect the brain.

With a properly functioning pineal gland, melatonin can offset damage that leads to serious brain disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s.51 Which means, if an individual has an impaired pineal gland, they are prone to dementia and Alzheimer’s…

Which brings us to our next point.

5. Fluoride, Alzheimer’s and Dementia

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Once the pineal gland goes, the dominos start to fall…

Without the protection of the pineal gland’s melatonin production, the likelihood of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia skyrocket. 

Which is why pineal gland calcification is thought to contribute to dementia and Alzheimer’s as it’s found in significantly higher rates in patients with these diseases.52

However, let’s not forget about the relationship between Aluminium, Fluoride and Alzheimer’s. 

First off, it’s well known aluminum is a neurotoxin and has been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients at higher than normal levels. Since fluoride is extremely reactive and compatible with aluminum, the two react when possible- forming aluminum fluoride.

blood brain barrier fluoride

When this happens, it bypasses the blood-brain barrier and finds refuge in the brain. Furthermore, the presence of aluminum fluoride in the brain has been linked to Alzheimer’s.53

If you’re wondering how you’d ever come across aluminum, look at your water but also your deodorant.

6. Fluoridated Drinking Water Doubles The Risk of Hypothyroidism

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Since fluoride is non-essential to the human body, it has no function to perform in the body.

This means with it’s extremely reactive nature, it finds a purpose… to create chaos.

Just how fluoride binds to the calcium in your bones to form calcium fluoride (CaF2). Depleting the natural calcium hydroxyapatite that contributes to bone density, thus making your bones more brittle.

It also binds with iodine receptors in the thyroid, displacing iodine.

Now, when there isn’t adequate iodine available, the thyroid can’t synthesize thyroid hormones.54 This is bad news for the entire body, as thyroid hormones act on nearly every cell in the body.

When this happens, an individual may experience the following brain symptoms.

common brain symptoms of thyroid disorder

This is why, when fluoride is added to drinking water, it nearly doubles the risk of developing hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).55 While if an individual is deficient in iodine, the toxic effects of fluoride on brain cells are significantly worse.

How To Protect The Brain From Fluoride?

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With each glass of fluoride, a person essentially sends ammunition to the bad guys.

Each glass of water sends fluoride that slowly depletes iodine levels in the thyroid, fluoride that crystallizes the pineal gland and fluoride that beats up and degenerates several different areas of the brain.

It’s no wonder that organizations like the National Research Council are turning the corner with fluoride, “It is apparent that fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain”.56

With that being said, the most logical thing to do would be to stop sending ammunition to the bad guys and then start sending ammunition to the good guys.

This process is explained in our fluoride detox guide, with the most important step drinking fluoride-free water, either through bottled water without fluoride or fluoride water filters.

steps to protect brain from fluoride exposure

However, if fluoride’s effects on your brain have not convinced you to pull the trigger on cutting fluoride out of your life and detoxing your body of it. You should read what is fluoride?

You’ll learn the effects of fluoride extend far beyond the brain and towards the health of your bones, teeth, and fertility. You’ll learn fluoride is classified as a chemical and byproduct of various industries.

The worst part about all of this is that fluoride has no essential function in human growth and development and no signs of fluoride deficiency has ever been linked in humans.57

What this means is that there is zero reason to ingest fluoride.

But many reasons to avoid it.

  1. Grandjean, Philippe, and Philip J Landrigan. 2014. “Neurobehavioural Effects of Developmental Toxicity.” The Lancet Neurology 13 (3) (March): 330–338
  21. Wang J,Shen X, Zhang Z, Xu X. (2004). [Influence of combined iodine and fluoride on phospholipid and fatty acid composition in brain cells of rats] Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 33:158-61. et al. (2004). Effects of high fluoride and low iodine on biochemical indexes of the brain and learning-memory of offspring rats. Fluoride 37(4):264–270.
  46. http://fluoridealert.org/studies/brain03_/
  47. http://fluoridealert.org/studies/brain01/
  49. Bashash, Morteza et al. “Prenatal Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes in Children at 4 and 6-12 Years of Age in Mexico.” Environmental health perspectives vol. 125,9 097017.
  50. “Fluoride deposition in the aged human pineal gland” BY Luke J
  51. Cardinali, Daniel P et al. “Clinical aspects of melatonin intervention in Alzheimer’s disease progression.” Current neuropharmacology vol. 8,3 (2010): 218-27.
  52. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458006003629
  53. Hasan, Md Kamrul et al. “Screening of Human Proteins for Fluoride and Aluminum Binding.” Bioinformation vol. 14,2 68-74. 28 Feb. 2018
  55. Peckham S, Lowery D, Spencer S “Are fluoride levels in drinking water associated with hypothyroidism prevalence in England? A large observational study of GP practice data and fluoride levels in drinking water” J Epidemiol Community Health 2015;69:619-624.
  56. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6309358/
  57.  European Food Safety Authority Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fluoride, EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies. EFSA J. 2013;11:3332–3378
Casey J Krol

Casey J Krol


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