The Interrelation of Fluoride and Iron in Anemia 1

Summary

It has been demonstrated that iron supplementation can completely prevent the anemia observed in 15-day-old mice raised on a low or high fluoride experimental diet. A higher fluoride intake was again shown to reduce the severity of the anemia seen in low fluoride animals. An increased fluoride intake has been shown to improve iron metabolism when animals were fed an experimental diet marginally adequate in its iron content. The young animals of the high fluoride group were found to have a higher total body iron content at 15 days of age than similar animals of the low fluoride group, although there was no appreciable difference in the iron content of the newborn. The higher fluoride intake of the dam also was shown to increase the iron content of the milk produced by the lactating dams, and the difference in concentration in the milk from animals in the two groups may account for the observation that there is a higher total body iron burden at 15 days of age in the high fluoride group. In older animals (15-23 days old), the higher fluoride intake was demonstrated to increase the absorption and/or retention of iron by the young mouse provided the experimental diet.