Abstract

Background: Research suggests that fluoride from dietary and environmental sources may concentrate in calcium-containing regions of the body such as the pineal gland. The pineal gland synthesizes melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. We used population-based data from Cycle 3 (2012-2013) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CMHS) to examine associations between fluoride exposure and sleep outcomes.

Methods: The sample included participants aged 16 to 79 years. Fluoride concentrations were measured in urinary spot samples (n=1303) and household tap water among those who reported drinking tap water (n=1016); urinary fluoride was adjusted for specific gravity (UFSG). We used multinomial and ordered logistic regression analyses to examine associations of fluoride exposure with self-reported sleep outcomes, including sleep duration and frequency of sleep problems. Sleep duration was classified as normal, low, or high according to age-based recommendations by the National Sleep Foundation, and frequency of sleep problems were measured on a 5-point scale, ranging from “never” to “all of the time”. Covariates were based on theoretical relevance and included age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, and household income.

Results: Median (IQR) UFSG and water fluoride concentrations were 0.67 (0.63) and 0.12 (0.38) mg/L, respectively; 32% of participants lived in communities supplied with fluoridated municipal water. A 0.5 mg/L increase in water fluoride level was associated with 34% higher relative risk of reporting sleeping less than the recommended duration [RRR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.73; p = .026]. UFSG was not significantly associated with sleep duration. Water fluoride and UFSG concentration were not significantly associated with frequency of sleep problems. Including chronic health conditions as a covariate did not substantially change the association between water fluoride and sleep duration.

Conclusions: Fluoride exposure may contribute to sleeping less than the recommended duration among older adolescents and adults in Canada.

*Abstract in the Conference Abstract E-Posters at http://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/isee2020.abstract-e-posters.pdf

Authors

J. E. Cunningham, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

H. McCague, Institute for Social Research, York University, Toronto, ON, CANADA

A. Malin, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

J. Riddell, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, CANADA

D. Flora, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON, CANADA.

C. Till, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON, CANADA.

---

 

Print PDF

• Related Studies :

  • Effect of fluoride in drinking water on dental caries and IQ in children.

    The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of fluoride exposure on the prevalence of dental caries and the intellectual ability of children. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 161 children from 9 to 10 years of age were evaluated. The concentration of fluoride in drinking water and urine was

  • The cholinergic system, intelligence, and dental fluorosis in school-aged children with low-to-moderate fluoride exposure.

    Highlights Low-to-moderate fluoride was associated with alterations of cholinergic system. The prevalence of dental fluorosis (DF) was related to cholinergic system. AChE was negatively associated with children’s intelligence quotient (IQ). AChE mediates association of fluoride with DF prevalence and lower odds of IQ > 120. DF and IQ were

  • Fluoride exposure from groundwater as reflected by urinary fluoride and children's dental fluorosis in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley.

    This cross-sectional study explores the relationships between children's F(-) exposure from drinking groundwater and urinary F(-) concentrations, combined with dental fluorosis (DF) in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) Valley. We examined the DF prevalence and severity among 491 children (10 to 15 years old) who are life-long residents of 33

  • Effect of altitude on urinary, plasma and nail fluoride levels in children and adults in Nepal.

    Highlights Several aspects of fluoride metabolism were examined in child-parent dyads living at a lower- and higher-altitudes in Nepal. Fluoride concentration of finger- and toe-nail was not related to either fluoride intake or altitude. In children, higher altitude leads to decreased urinary fluoride excretion when given the same fluoride dose.

  • FRZB1 rs2242070 polymorphisms is associated with brick tea type skeletal fluorosis in Kazakhs, but not in Tibetans, China.

    Skeletal fluorosis is a metabolic bone and joint disease caused by excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones. Compared with Kazakhs, Tibetans are more likely to develop moderate and severe brick tea type skeletal fluorosis, although they have similar fluoride exposure. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in frizzled-related protein (FRZB) have

• Related FAN Content :

  • Luke (1997): The Effect of Fluoride on the Physiology of the Pineal Gland (Excerpts)

    "The results suggest that fluoride is associated with low circulating levels of melatonin and this leads to an accelerated sexual maturation in female gerbils. The results strengthen the hypothesis that the pineal has a role in pubertal development."

  • Luke (2001): Fluoride Deposition in the Aged Human Pineal Gland

    This study has added new knowledge on the fate and distribution of fluoride in the body. It has shown for the first time that fluoride readily accumulates in the human pineal gland although there was considerable inter-individual variation