Fluoride toxicity from tea

[frozenborderline]

This is really a concern. The darjeeling is so good I'm getting addicted but

Tea in general has more fluoride than coffee which has none, but may be worth the risk for me

Get tired of coffee sometimes

Probably depends on tea growing region too

Fluoride In Tea: Risk, Ranking & Guide (Search 329+ Teas)
https://truthaboutfluoride.com/fluoride-in-tea/

Fucking bummer, says all black teas tend to have more fluoride

I'm not gonna drink chamomile, fuck that

God dammit. Need to research and finr good looseleaf that doesnt have

Fluoride

Might have less fluoride in it than

Indian or chinese teas

The amount I drink is crazy makes me think I should actually look for a low fluoride tea

Tea may contain more fluoride than once thought, research shows -- ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100714104059.htm

A Risk of Fluoride Toxicity

In recent years, there have been a number of reports documenting skeletal fluorosis in the United States among heavy tea drinkers. Dr. Michael Whyte, who has authored several of these studies, cautions that “many” tea drinkers are currently receiving fluoride doses that put them at risk for skeletal fluorosis. (Whyte 2008). In Whyte’s studies, the tea drinkers who developed skeletal fluorosis had been misdiagnosed for years as suffering from arthritis and/or fibromylagia. In Whyte’s most recent study, a Georgia woman had crippling skeletal fluorosis for up to 18 years before being correctly diagnosed. (Whyte 2011). As some authors have noted, “it is certain that some heavy-tea drinkers suffering from fluorosis from tea-drinking might not be diagnosed.” (Yi & Cao 2008

Effects of brewing conditions on infusible fluoride levels in tea and herbal products and probabilistic health risk assessment | Scientific Reports
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93548-3

Newby Teas, predominantly owned by a British registered charity, conducted an independent study to test their own product and to enlighten tea drinkers by focussing on community health and the welfare of society. They commissioned “Eurofins”, a globally recognized laboratory, to conduct lab tests for fluorides at their laboratory in Wolverhampton, UK. 31 samples of teas from various popular international brands were tested to assess the fluoride levels in their teas.

Out of the samples tested, 95% of Newby Teas were recorded to have the lowest fluoride levels from 0.25 – 0.35 mg of fluoride per cup of 200 ml. Tests further revealed some of the most known & premium tea brands consisted of up to 1.06 mg fluoride content per cup, which if consumed regularly, could severely compromise bone health, especially of children, women and elderly people.

When Newby Team was questioned about how they maintain low fluoride levels, Mr. Nirmal Sethia, Founder of Newby Teas stated, “Matured tea leaves absorb the most fluoride. It is essential to use the first or second flush teas only. As the tea leaf matures over the time, the fluoride content increases.”



Sethia further added, “While the figures don’t look too bad for someone drinking the occasional cup of tea, if several cups are consumed per day, this could have a significant negative effect on an individual’s health. We will continue to monitor the situation for our product control and comparative reasons. While this is not compulsory by law, we believe it is our ethical duty to do so.”

The tea plant (Camellia Sinensis) extracts fluoride from the soil which accumulates in its leaves. Tea is a rich source of fluoride, which is healthy in moderation. A report published by the University of Derby and the then HPA (Health Protection Agency) showed that some so-called economy teas, which are made from older leaves containing increased levels of fluoride, had dangerously high levels of fluoride, ranging up to 1.59 mg per cup.

World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the popular beverage, tea, can trigger risk of bone damage in its consumers due to its fluoride content. A daily consumption of over 4 mg for minors and 6 mg of fluoride for adults can cause deadly ailments such as skeletal fluorosis, osteoporosis, an overall deterioration of bone health, and other consequential illnesses.

But they have black tea too

Idk

Everybody says black tea has more fluoride but nobody is comparing

Different types of black tea from different regions

White tea is supposedly great for antioxidants and japanese green tea has less fluoride than chinese

It's not the most important thing but do u think we can research which black teas are safer fluoride wise and

What ray peat says about mitigating that stuff

It seems like there should be a way to test fluoride in various teas and find black tea without it

Since it comes from the soil in an area and wasnt a problem inherent to tea

But india and china is main black tea producers so fuck

Idk tho this is like almost as necessary for me as a good cigarette used to be so I'm not giving up tea

There is a charleston sc black tea plantation

What Is Japanese Black Tea? | A Beginner’s Guide to Wakoucha | Sugimoto Tea Company, Japanese Green Tea Maker Since 1946
https://www.sugimotousa.com/blog/what-is-japanese-black-tea-a-beginners-guide-to-wakoucha

Japanese black tea is a thing so

Could try both charleston sc and Japanese teas

Risk Assessment of Fluoride Intake from Tea in the Republic of Ireland and its Implications for Public Health and Water Fluoridation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808922/

Skeletal fluorosis is a reversible effect characterized by deficient mineralization of the bone, leading to changes in bone structure and increased risk of fractures. Skeletal fluorosis is endemic in several countries where the potable water sources naturally contain high fluoride levels (> 4 mg/L), and where water consumption is high due to hot climates (EFSA 2013). Fluoride intakes of above 6–8 mg/day may increase the risk of bone fractures (EFSA 2013; NHMRC 2017a; WHO 2011, 2017).

Soils are clearly the
main source of fluoride and other trace elements
for the tea plant. However, in order to boost tea
yields, most tea growers use nitrogenous
fertilisers, which may further increase the fluoride
content in tea by (a) contributing additional
fluoride, and (b) making the soils acidic by
producing hydrogen ions (H+
) via nitrification
(NH4
+
+ 2O2 g NO3
-
+ H2O + 2H+
) induced by
bacteria present in the soil (Ishibashi et al., 2004).
This in turn increases the mobility and
consequently the bioavailability of fluoride for
uptake by the plants (Fung and Wong, 2002).
Other factors that may influence the fluoride
content in tea infusions include leaf age (Shu et
al., 2003) as well as genetics factors.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in
light of the associated health effects of fluoride
has set the guideline for fluoride in drinking water
at 1.5 µg F- ml-1 (WHO, 2011). However, the upper
limit for fluoride uptake from tea is not included
in the current Kenyan black tea quality standard
(KS 65: 2009). Based on the guideline for drinking
water, black CTC tea may be regarded as safe for
consumption with respect to fluoride conten

Found a citation somewhere saying highland teas also have less fluoride than lowland teas

Which makes sense in terms of watersheds

Anyway if you combine maps of watersheds, altitudes, and this map of global fluoride concentrations , it should be possible to find

did you see this already? site looks sketchy overall but they have a searchable DB on this page: https://truthaboutfluoride.com/fluoride-in-tea/

Yes, I did. But the sample seems large but they dont look for black teas from america , africa, Japan or just highland areas that may have lower fluoride so

It mostly seems like the evidence is just saying that in general white or herbal teas are best which I already knew but it's not a large enough sample of black yeas from different regions to find a safe one

Can one chelate fluoride I wonder

Also they set a different cutoff from the who one

So the table is actually a bit helpful if you take that into account. But I'm gonna ask them to test or add other brands to it

They say you can contact them to add other brands

Maybe for health reasons tea needs to be in moderation and rotates just in case one brand high fluoride

A simple, safe, and efficient way to treat severe fluoride poisoning--oral calcium or magnesium - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15083934/

No, I want low fluoride black tea

It's about something that's a small pleasure for me where I dont have much

Honestly I wouldn't sperg out about the fluoride except for the fact that I already may have problems with my bone fusing

So Nepal, bhutan and a variety of the eastern and southern regions look good for tea with less fluoride

 

[Crux]

Fluoride will displace iodine, lowering thyroid function. I learned recently that iv calcium gluconate is administered with fluoride poisoning.

My back molars have some ugly brown deformations from fluorosis.
I was raised in SC and drank a lot of iced tea.
Diet has been too low in calcium. I take calcium chelate supps. along with some iodine now.
Stopped drinking tea and drink RO water.
Miss the tea, may have small amounts in the future.

 

[Crux]

It's not just tea that has fluoride. There are certain areas that have high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in the water. Where I grew up had a lot of natural fluoride in the water and more was added to prevent cavities.

 

[frozenborderline]

Yeah I'd like to filter my water

 

[frozenborderline]

Not all tea is equal tho. Gets fluoride from ground. Not all ground has fluoride. Just too much in lots of india and china

 

[lenora]

If you use teabags you can also get a dose of fluoride from them. My mother was British, so I was raised on tea, I married someone from Britain and we drink plenty of black tea from India.

I've had bone disease for years (osteopenia) and have been on fosamax off and on since it first came out. My husband is 77 and his bones are dense...no problems at all. I have one cup of black tea in the a.m., and then switch to either herbal tea or water.

There are far too many things to worry about, aren't there? I think some of it is simply genetic.....as per my husband and his entire family.

Do you put much milk in your tea? The British tend to drink their tea with a lot of milk. Yours, Lenora.

 

[frozenborderline]

If you use teabags you can also get a dose of fluoride from them

Yes , I know. It's just that I probably wouldn't risk my health to drink lupton but it's harder to give up very good tea

 

[caledonia]

Brew up your tea, then run it through a water filter that filters fluoride before drinking.

 

[lenora]

No, Frozen Border, I use loose tea myself. Neither one of us drinks Lipton's and my mother certainly didn't. Yorkshire tea does come in bags, so my husband drinks a lot of it.

@caledonia had a good idea if you're that concerned. @Crux.....oh, sweet tea is favored throughout the south, so you have a double whammy going on, don't you.

Sometimes being poor confers amazing things. We never had money for things like Coke or the like, so we headed to the water tap if thirsty. I have no taste whatsoever for sweet beverages, but at my age teeth problems become much worse.

All dental work is old by then, teeth are the same, gums.....it's an expensive proposition. Not only that, it keeps you chained to the dentist's chair.

Out of interest, my mother died at age 85 with all of her own teeth....in great condition. She did see the dentist regularly for cleanings and check-up which obviously caught anything in the early stages. So perhaps some things just aren't worth spending a lot of time worrying about. Yours, Lenora.

 

[frozenborderline]

Brew up your tea, then run it through a water filter that filters fluoride before drinking.

Cool idea but if the filter is small enough to get rid of fluoride which is fairly small molecule, couldn't it get rid of stuff like tannins and caffeine essential to the taste and effect of tea ? I'm not sure on the science here

 

[Crux]

@lenora ,

Thanks but I'm not in the south anymore, and don't drink iced tea either. Yeah some things aren't worth the bother, but..., The last time I tried green tea, 3 or more cups a day, to chelate iron, my hair began to fall out.

I became more tired too. Being the vain sort that I am, I was alarmed.

I looked into it and found that fluoride can depress thyroid, so hair loss and fatigue looked like low thyroid to me.

There are genetic snps that make people more vulnerable to fluorosis and I have a couple.
I don't have to have tea, I've given up many things. oh well

@frozenborderline , White tea , the top leaves of the camellia sinensis plant has less fluoride, but it's expensive.

 

[frozenborderline]

@frozenborderline , White tea , the top leaves of the camellia sinensis plant has less fluoride, but it's expensive.

I know , but it's just not at all what I like or am looking for out of tea. And theoretically since tea gets fluoride from the soil it should be possible to get black tea without it, it's just nobody seems to have measured that extensively

 

[lenora]

@frozenborderline.....are you having said effects as a result of the black tea? If you haven't been drinking it all of your life, then I wouldn't spend undue time worrying about it.

It seems that everything we (& other people) eat or drink can have bad problems associated with them but only if we go overboard.

In @Crux and his situation the occasional black sweetened tea isn't going to hurt him....it's for memory's sake and is great on a hot day. I tend to nurse a warm bottle of water and herbal teas all afternoon, so that's good. I'm sure that spring water in a plastic bottle can't be too good for us if we drink inordinate amounts.

Point being: If you enjoy your black tea....then drink it. Just don't make it any stronger than necessary. We simply can't drive ourselves crazy with all the concerns....well, until we get our dental bill at least.

Yes, I've heard that higher quality tea is very delicious but highly expensive. My lower class taste for black tea is just fine. I drink less of it now than I have in my entire life. Just improve in your health. Yours, Lorena

 

[Crux]

All I want to say about tea drinking is , I think it's fine, even great. The caveat is , have enough iodine and calcium to counter any side effects from the fluoride .

 

[BrightCandle]

You could always try some of the lighter roasted coffees that are considered tea like. Combine it with at the least filtered water if you not distilled + minerals and you have something that has similar qualities all be it coffee flavoured. I have since getting ill found coffee part of what makes me feel a little better and I have got quite deep into the rabbit hole of making interesting black coffee. Different origins can taste so remarkably different to each other and tea like is definitely something I have come across a few times.

 

[hapl808]

I drink quite a bit of tea. Maybe two cups of green tea and two cups of black tea per day. I've tried cutting both or either from my diet and haven't noticed big changes. All loose leaf tea in recent years. A lot of the world drinks a lot of tea. I would think we'd know more about this if it were likely a big problem, although obviously if it's genetic and only affects some people, then those things tend to be more ignored.