"Humans administered magnesium along with fluoride as therapy for osteoporosis had diminished joint pain and resorbed periarticular calcium phosphate deposits (Kuhr et al. 1987) Magnesium appeared to reduce the adverse effects of fluoride when it was used as a treatment for osteoporosis.
"Existing data indicate that subsets of the population may be unusually susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride and its compounds. These populations include the elderly, people with magnesium deficiency, and people with cardiovascular and kidney problems.
"People over the age of 50 have been shown to have decreased renal fluoride clearance (Hanhijarvi 1974). This may be because of the decreased rate of accumulation of fluoride in bones or decreased renal function [comment: the reason there is decreased bone F accumulation is because bone becomes saturated with it and cannot take anymore--it then becomes more brittle]. This decreased clearance of fluoride may indicate that elderly people are more susceptible to fluoride toxicity. Inadequate dietary levels of magnesium may affect the toxic effects of fluoride. In this study, fluoride administered to magnesium-deficient dogs prevented soft-tissue calcification but not muscle weakness and convulsions. In rats, fluoride aggravated the hypomagnesemia condition, which produced convulsive seizures. The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are similar to those produced by fluoride toxicity. This may be because of a fluoride-induced increase in the uptake of magnesium from plasma into bone (Chiemchaisri and Philips 1963).
"Some people with cardiovascular problems may be at increased risk of fluoride toxicity. Fluoride inhibits glycolysis by inhibiting enolase. However, it also inhibits energy metabolism through the tricarboxylic acid cycle by blocking the entry of pyruvate and fatty acids and by inhibiting succinic dehydrogenase. Because fluoride is excreted through the kidney, people with renal insufficiency would have impaired renal clearance of fluoride (Juncos and Donadio 1972). People with diabetes mellitus and heart insufficiency have also been found to have impaired renal clearance of fluoride (Hanhijarvi 1974)."
Pete Wilson, Governor of California, signed a bill Monday that requires all public water systems with at least 10,000 customers to fluoridate.
This page was first uploaded to The Magnesium Web Site on October 9, 1995
http://www.mgwater.com/