ADDED VALUE

Should food and drink be fortified with vitamins and minerals? This week: Water SEVERAL water authorities already add fluoride to drinking water to reduce dental decay in children. Studies have shown that fluoride helps to mineralise teeth, promoting formation of the mineral fluorapatite, which is harder than tooth enamel.

THE DOWNSIDE: At high levels, fluoride is a toxin — an early sign of overdosing is dental fluorosis, when white marks develop on tooth enamel — and the maximum allowed in Europe is 1.5 parts per million. There are concerns that it may cross the placenta and affect foetal neurological development. A 2012 study also found that children in China in areas with high fluoride levels in the water had lower IQ scores than those in low-fluoride areas.

The British Medical Association has nonetheless said it ‘remains committed to the fluoridation of mains water supplies . . . following appropriate public consultation’.