By David Liu, PHD

Sunday Nov 18, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Indian researchers Mandava V Rao and Rajendra N. Bhatt published a study in Research Report

Fluoride confirming that exposure to fluoride can negatively affect the testis and found supplementation of melatonin can offer some protection against the toxicity.

For the study, male rats received 5 and 10 mg sodiun fluoride per kg body weight each dat for 60 days. It was found that the rats exposed to fluoride have their body and organ weights decreased signfiicantly, compared to controls.

Additionally, antioxidant indices in the testis of the animals exposed to fluoride were changed with lipid peroxidation increased and reducing agents including glutathionine peroxidase, glutathione, ascorbic acid, glutathione-s-transferse, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase decreased.  As a result, the testis function was negatively affected as confirmed by histopathological examinations.

On the other hand, supplementation of sodium fluoride-treated rats with the antioxidant melatonin in a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight rendered a significant protection to the gonadal function against the oxidative stress induced by the toxic fluoride salt.

Fluroide is added to the public drinking water system that is used by 75 percent of U.S. population although an increasing body of evidence shows that fluoride among other things can cause dental and skeletal flurosis, damage the reproductive system and neuronsm, and bone cancers while providing a major benefit - protecting against dental caries.