green tea and fluoride

[Guest guest]

Here's what I found on green tea and fluoride.

Betsy

 

 

Green Tea & Fluoride

Green tea, like all teas made from the Camellia sinensis bush, contains

fluoride, a natural compound that hardens tooth enamel and helps prevent

cavities. And that worries some people who think the American public is already

“over-fluoridated.” Fluoride is added to our drinking water, toothpaste,

mouthwashes, and sometimes even our grape juice, and has been blamed for

ailments ranging from allergies to cancer. Yet the Centers for Disease Control

insists that the only downside to too much fluoride is the possibility of

developing fluorosis, a permanent discoloration of the teeth caused by

overexposure when the teeth are just developing.

The Fluoride Content of Green Tea Leaves

For those who are still worried about the fluoride in green tea, here’s what

your need to know. Tea plants accumulate fluoride in their leaves over time, so

the oldest leaves contain the most fluoride, while the youngest contain the

least. Therefore, white tea (which is made from youngest leaves and buds) is

your best bet if you’re trying to take in as little fluoride as possible. Green

tea that is made from older leaves, oolong tea and black tea have slightly more

fluoride. The highest amount of fluoride is found in brick tea, a lower quality

tea made from the oldest tea leaves which are molded into the shape of a brick

(thus its name). Brick tea is the one to watch out for, as symptoms of fluorosis

have been seen in Tibetan children and adults who drink large amounts of this

kind of tea.

How Much Is Too Much?

To put the tea-fluoride question into perspective, consider that the DRI (daily

recommended amount) of fluoride is 3 mg. An entire liter of green tea contains

only about half that amount, or between 1.2 and 1.7mg. Black tea contains

roughly the same amount of fluoride and oolong tea slightly less. So even if you

drank 7 eight-ounce cups of green, black or oolong tea every day, your fluoride

intake would still be within the “safe zone.”

For the Super Fluoride-Conscious

But if you’re still worried about the fluoride content of tea, here’s an easy

fix: Make your tea from white tea leaves and bottled water that doesn’t contain

fluoride. The fluoride content of tea that’s prepared this way should be

practically nonexistent.