Wed. March 2, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study recently published in PloS One suggests that fluoride can interfere with human embryonic development or have a detrimental effect on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Fluoride, which is commonly added to public drinking water systems (fluoridation) to reduce incidence of dental caries, has been known to lower IQ in children and increase risk of skeletal fluorosis and dental fluorosis, and bone cancer in boys.

The study conducted by Chinese researchers found that at 1 mM, NaF (a type of fluoride salt) disturbed the gene expression of human embryonic stem cells during embryotic body differentiation.  At 2 mM or higher concentrations, the fluoride salt significantly decreased viability and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells by promoting apoptosis, or death of human embryonic stem cells.

The study concluded "These findings suggest that NaF (fluoride salt) might interfere with early human embryogenesis by disturbing the specification of the three germ layers as well as osteogenic lineage commitment and that high-dose NaF could cause apoptosis through a JNK-dependent pathway in hESCs." (David Liu)

Fu X, Xie F-N, Dong P, Li Q-C, Yu G-Y, Xiao R (2016) High-Dose Fluoride Impairs the Properties of Human Embryonic Stem Cells via JNK Signaling. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0148819. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148819