Fluoride exposure from infant formula and child IQ in a Canadian birth cohort

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105315Get rights and content
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Highlights:

  • Consumption of formula reconstituted with fluoridated water can lead to excessive fluoride intake.

  • Breastfed infants receive very low intake of fluoride.

  • We compared IQ scores in 398 children who were formula-fed versus breastfed during infancy.

  • IQ scores were lower with higher levels of fluoride in tap water.

  • The effect was more pronounced among formula-fed children, especially for nonverbal skills.

Abstract

Background

Infant consumption of formula reconstituted with fluoridated water can lead to excessive fluoride intake. We examined the association between fluoride exposure in infancy and intellectual ability in children who lived in fluoridated or non-fluoridated cities in Canada.

Methods

We examined 398 mother-child dyads in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals cohort who reported drinking tap water. We estimated water fluoride concentration using municipal water reports. We used linear regression to analyze the association between fluoride exposure and IQ scores, measured by the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence-III at 3–4 years. We examined whether feeding status (breast-fed versus formula-fed) modified the impact of water fluoride and if fluoride exposure during fetal development attenuated this effect. A second model estimated the association between fluoride intake from formula and child IQ.

Results

Thirty-eight percent of mother-child dyads lived in fluoridated communities. An increase of 0.5 mg/L in water fluoride concentration (approximately equaling the difference between fluoridated and non-fluoridated regions) corresponded to a 9.3- and 6.2-point decrement in Performance IQ among formula-fed (95% CI: −13.77, −4.76) and breast-fed children (95% CI: −10.45, −1.94). The association between water fluoride concentration and Performance IQ remained significant after controlling for fetal fluoride exposure among formula-fed (B = −7.93, 95% CI: −12.84, −3.01) and breastfed children (B = −6.30, 95% CI: −10.92, −1.68). A 0.5 mg increase in fluoride intake from infant formula corresponded to an 8.8-point decrement in Performance IQ (95% CI: −14.18, −3.34) and this association remained significant after controlling for fetal fluoride exposure (B = −7.62, 95% CI: −13.64, −1.60).

Conclusions

Exposure to increasing levels of fluoride in tap water was associated with diminished non-verbal intellectual abilities; the effect was more pronounced among formula-fed children.

Keywords

Fluoride
Infants
Formula
Water fluoridation
Intellectual function

Abbreviations

BF
breastfed
FF
formula fed
CI
confidence intervals
HOME
home observation for measurement of the environment
IQ
intelligence quotient
FSIQ
full scale IQ
PIQ
performance IQ
VIQ
verbal IQ
MIREC
maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals
MUF
maternal urinary fluoride
SD
standard deviation

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