Fluoride Concentration in Urine after Supplementation with Quelites in a Population of Adolescents

Abstract

Wild plants have detoxifying and protective properties. They reduce or neutralize the toxic effects caused by chemical agents and pollutants and have beneficial effects on the nutritional and health status. This research was conducted to complement a previous clinical intervention in which participants were exposed to high concentrations of arsenic and fluoride in drinking water to discover similarities or differences in the pattern of fluoride (F−) excretion after supplementation with partial areas of purslane and quelite cenizo (SP-Q). The study was 4 weeks long, and it was carried out on a sample of 27 adolescents in an age range of 11–12 years. Anthropometric and dietary evaluations were performed, and the concentrations of fluoride (F−) in urine and drinking water were quantified using the potentiometric method with an ion-selective electrode. The treated group increased urinary F− excretion after the first week (Baseline: 9.23 mg/g creatinine; Week 2: 0.73 mg/g creatinine), together with significant mobilization of F− and a recovery process at the end of the intervention (Week 4: 0.52 mg/g creatinine). The supplement may act by increasing the excretion of F− and the nutritional dietary conditions that contribute to mitigation and recovery in participants exposed to the contaminant while also managing access to drinking water.