FLUORIDE CONTENT IN FOOD ITEMS

Fluoride rich drinking water is generally the major source for fluoride entering the body. But food items can also contribute significantly to the total fluoride intake.

The significance of this observation is that fluoride absorption from food is 50-80% in contrast to essentially complete absorption from drinking water. Many food items are a rich source of fluoride. The examples are as follows:

Table - 5
Showing fluoride content in various food items

Source

Fluoride (ppm)

Dried seaweed

326.0

Tea

32.0

Sardines

11.0

Shrimp

4.5

Wheat germ

2.4

Crab

2.2

Cheese

1.7

Chicken

1.5

Butter

1.5

Soyabeans

1.4

Eggs

1.3

Beef

1.2

Lamb

1.2

Spinach

1.0

Parsley

0.9

Whole wheat

0.8

Pork

0.7

Source of Information:

  1. Foods and nutrition Encyclopaedia 1994
  2. Rao G.S. 1984

Reference:

  1. Ensminger Ah, Ensminger ME et al(1994). Foods  and nutrition Encyclopaedia. CRC Press
  2. Rao GS (1984). Dietary intake and bioavailability of fluoride. In: Annual Review of Nutrition, Vol. 4 (Darby, W.I.) pp. 115-136, Annual Reviews Inc. Palo Alto, CA.