
94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1560015
The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Fluorosis in coal-burning areas of Southwest China is exacerbated by multi-pathway fluoride exposure, with diet emerging as a critical factor due to traditional food preparation methods.This study systematically evaluated fluoride accumulation, bioavailability, and health risks associated with foods roasted over high-fluoride coal, with a particular focus on chili-a dietary staple with heightened fluoride absorption and bioavailability. Results indicated that after 30 days of roasting, chili's fluoride content reached 869.82 mg•kg⁻¹, with bioavailability levels between 2.18% and 12.00%, making it the largest contributor to the hazard index (HI), accounting for over 80% of the total when bioavailability was considered. In comparison, corn, tofu, and pork, though accumulating fluoride to varying extents, presented lower bioavailability and thus relatively lower health risks. Recent dietary shifts in the region show reduced corn consumption and increased chili and pork intake, further shifting dietary fluoride exposure risk toward high-bioavailability foods like chili. These findings highlight the need for dietary management interventions in high-fluoride regions, prioritizing moderated chili consumption and revised cooking practices to mitigate fluorosis risk effectively.
Keywords: Fluoride, Food, bioavailability, health risk assessment, Coal Roasting
Received: 13 Jan 2025; Accepted: 17 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Luo, Tu, Yang, Tang and Tu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chenglong Tu, Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Research integrity at Frontiers
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.