Risks of Tea Consumption Due To Fluoride Intake

The main point of contention in drinking tea is its Fluoride content. The highest Fluoride concentration reported in any vegetation occurs in tea leaves.

Fluoride is a Schedule 6 Poison, teratogen and bio-accumulative, endocrine disruptor that has no nutritional value. The acute lethal dose of Fluoride for humans is less than 5 milligram of fluoride per kilogram of body weight. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Fluoride is more toxic than Lead and slightly less toxic than Arsenic.

In excessive amounts, it may cause diseases like:

• headache and migraine¹² (Seferoğlu et al., 2012)
• Thyroid deficiency and hormone disruption¹³ (Abulfadle et al., 2015)
• Catastrophic Liver Damage¹⁴ (Lugg et al., 2015)
• Reduces Iron and Thiamine absorption¹⁵ (Sachdev et al., 2017)
• Kidney Stones¹⁶ (Pain, 2017)
• Birth Defects including anencephaly²⁰ (Fedrick, 1974)
• Spina bifida²¹ (Correa et al., 2000)
• Chemical Castration²² (Sun et al., 2018)
• Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)²³ (Murao et al., 2011)
• Dermal hypersensitivity and asthma^24-26 (Shirai et al., 1994-2003)
• High Blood Pressure²⁷ (Hodgson et al., 1999)
• Skeletal Fluorosis and other Bone Disorders¹⁰ (Li et al., 2017)
• heart arrhythmia, urticaria, exfoliative dermatitis, stomatitis, gastro-intestinal and respiratory allergy¹¹ (Shea et al., 1967)
• Cancer^28-30 (Tewes et al., 1990; Schmidt et al., 2005; Malik et al., 2003) etc.

Camellia sinensis plant is a hyper-accumulator of fluoride⁶ (Cabdirect).

Fluoride is absorbed from the air and soil and accumulates mostly in the leaves of the tea plant⁷ (Tokalioglu et al.). The easy absorption of fluoride by the gastro-intestinal tract makes the bioavailability of fluoride from tea to be close⁸ (Fawell et al.) to 100%.

It is now clear that tea products have particularly high levels of fluoride, which can pose a significant health risk if tea is consumed in significant quantities⁵ (Cao et al., 2006).

A study indicated that the fluoride level in some teas increased along with a decrease in tea quality⁴ (Lu et al., 2004). These differences in the fluoride content of tea leaves can be attributed to the geological, soil chemical and physical characteristics of the area of production⁹ (Tokalioglu et al.).

A study³ (Waugh et al., 2016) conducted in Ireland in 2016 analysed 54 commercially available brands and concluded that fluoride content in all brands tested ranged from 1.6 to 6.1 mg/L, with a mean value of 3.3 mg/L. According to this study, 96% of the tea products had fluoride concentrations that exceeded 1.5 mg/L.

The lowest fluoride levels (0.8 mg/L) in the study were found in pure tea products sourced from Assam, India.

The below excerpt has been directly taken from a risk assessment study³ (Waugh et al., 2016) published online on 26 Feb 2016 by Waugh, Potter, Limeback and Godfrey:

“The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reported that drinking just 2 cups of tea per day (with a fluoride content of 5 mg/L), combined with an average consumption of fluoridated drinking water and the use of fluoridated tap water in the preparation of food, but excluding all other sources (including solid foods, toothpaste and dental products), would provide a daily dietary intake of 6 mg fluoride per day. In the EU, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for fluoride has been established at 1.5 mg/day for children aged 1–3 years, 2.5 mg/day for children up to the age of eight years, 5 mg/day for children aged 9 to 14 years and 7 mg/day for children older than 15 years and adults.” 

It clearly says that even 2 cups of tea per day breaches the upper threshold for children below 14 years of age and is just below the permissible amount for all others above 14 years of age.

Bottom-Line On Fluoride In Tea >>

It is imperative that you choose the highest quality tea with least fluoride content and keep your tea consumption within the recommended moderate doses so as to reap benefits of tea while at the same time avoid being poisoned by it.

It may also be wise to not give tea to those below 15 years of age as they have lower intake tolerance for fluoride and it will be difficult to control their total intake of fluoride by other sources.

Risks of Tea Consumption Due To Polyphenol Intake

It is advised by researchers¹ (Pain et al., 2018) that women in the third trimester of pregnancy avoid foods (like Green tea) that contain high concentrations of polyphenol to avoid the risk of triggering constriction of ductus arteriosus which has potentially harmful consequences such as foetal and neonatal heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension of the new-born^17-19 (Zielinsky et al., 2010-2013).

Bottom-Line On Polyphenol In Tea >>

This one is simple. Just avoid the use of Green Tea if you are pregnant.

Risks of Tea Consumption Due To Aluminium Intake

Oral intake of aluminium in trace quantities is rarely considered as a serious health risk³² (CDC).

While excess and long-term aluminium intake are suspected to cause Alzheimer’s disease, Breast cancer etc.; these contentions lack any conclusive scientific proof.

Elevated aluminium content has been found in the brains of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. But it remains unclear whether this is a cause or an effect of the disease. There is conflicting evidence on carcinogenicity. The contention that the use of aluminium-containing antiperspirants promotes breast cancer is not supported by consistent scientific data³¹ (Klotz et al., 2017).

However, if you have any kidney-related ailments, aluminium may not get efficiently excreted from your body and this may lead to build-up. In such cases, it is advisable to discuss the same with your doctor³² (CDC).

Bottom-Line On Aluminium In Tea >>

Until further proof appears, you suffer from any kidney ailments or is specified by your doctor, Aluminium poisoning via tea consumption in normal moderate dosages may not be a concern.

What Is Considered As Excess?

All this is not to dissuade you from drinking tea. It is merely to keep you informed as to the potential risks so that you don’t get carried away by the “hype”.

In a normal dosage of about 2 cups a day, tea is very likely a safe drink. It is when we take it out of proportion (like more than 5 cups a day), that the risks possibly pose a threat to your health.

In fact, as per guidelines from The Beverage Guidance Panel in the United States, tea/coffee is the second most preferred drink in the world after drinking water.

You can also check out our articles on the health benefits of tea.