My daughter freaks when she comes over lately and goes through my cabinets. I have all these old (and some new) heavy aluminum cooking pots and utensils. She tells me she's read a lot of information about aluminum products contributing to Alzheimer's Disease. She won't even us deodorant that has aluminum in it. Is there any real truth in this?
Rather than give you my personal opinion (that there is no proof of any connection), I Googled "Alzheimer's Disease and Aluminum" with lots of hits. Those that strongly suggested a relationship were either from individuals or from "Nature" groups. The studies I found from reliable scientific sources could find no obvious relationship. Here are a couple of the articles I found:
from the Alzheimer Association: Evidence linking aluminium and Alzheimer's disease The hypothesis that there is a link between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease was first put forward in the 1960s (Terry and Pena 1965, Klatzo et al 1965). Since then, researchers have claimed a number of other circumstantial links between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease, as follows: • Aluminium has been shown to be associated both with plaques and with tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease (Crapper et al 1976). However, the presence of aluminium does not mean that the aluminium was the causal factor − it is more likely to be a harmless secondary association. • Some have claimed that people with Alzheimer's disease have a higher than average level of aluminium in their brains. However, other studies find no difference between the overall amount of aluminium in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and the amount in normal brains (Trapp et al 1978). • Studies of other sources of aluminium, such as tea, antacid medications and antiperspirants have also failed to show a positive association with Alzheimer's disease (Flaten and Odegård 1988). • People with kidney failure are unable to excrete aluminium, and yet they frequently have to be treated with compounds that contain aluminium. Aluminium accumulates in nerve cells that are particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease. However, even after years of high exposure to aluminium, patients with kidney failure are no more likely to develop dementia or the hallmark pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (Netter et al 1990). • Treatment with desferrioxamine (DFO), a drug which binds aluminium and removes it from the body, also has a major effect on iron stores in the body. Therefore the effects of DFO may have nothing to do with aluminium (Gomez et al 1998). • There have been many experimental studies on animals and on isolated cells showing that aluminium has toxic effects on the nervous system, but in almost all cases the doses of aluminium used were much higher than those occurring naturally in tissues (Gitelman 1988). The expert view on aluminium Since the idea that the metal might be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease was first proposed there have been numerous conferences on aluminium and health. The medical research community, international and government regulatory agencies and the aluminium industry all review the evidence at frequent intervals. The overwhelming medical and scientific opinion is that the findings outlined above do not convincingly demonstrate a causal relationship between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease, and that no useful medical or public health recommendations can be made − at least at present (Massey and Taylor 1989).
From “WebMD” Controversial Alzheimer's Disease Risk Factors Aluminum One of the most publicized and controversial theories concerns aluminum, which became a suspect in Alzheimer's disease when researchers found traces of this metal in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Many studies since then have either not been able to confirm this finding or have had questionable results. Aluminum does turn up in higher amounts than normal in some autopsy studies of Alzheimer's patients, but not in all. Further doubt about the importance of aluminum stems from the possibility that the aluminum found in some studies did not all come from the brain tissues being studied. Instead, some could have come from the special substances used in the laboratory to study brain tissue. Aluminum is a common element in the Earth's crust and is found in small amounts in numerous household products and in many foods. As a result, there have been fears that aluminum in the diet or absorbed in other ways could be a factor in Alzheimer's. One study found that people who used antiperspirants and antacids containing aluminum had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. Others have also reported an association between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, various studies have found that groups of people exposed to high levels of aluminum do not have an increased risk. Moreover, aluminum in cooking utensils does not get into food, and the aluminum that does occur naturally in some foods, such as potatoes, is not absorbed well by the body. On the whole, scientists can say only that it is still uncertain whether exposure to aluminum plays a role in Alzheimer's disease.
It looks like the "bottom line" is that there is no convincing evidence that aluminum "causes" Alzheimers. The other fact I found is that the absorption of aluminum from diet is only about 1%, and that there is almost no aluminum that gets in the food from aluminum cooking utensels. Since aluminum is so common in nature and is found in water supplies, foods, etc. I don't see that we should add this to our worries. I'm using teflon cookware, just because it's easier to clean. Actually, we know very little, if any, about the effects of teflon getting in the food.
Thanks for the research, Marsh. Very interesting. At one time I threw out all my aluminum pots - I didn't much like them anyway; they seemed to get pitted easily. I like the stainless steel, copper-bottomed pots, but do have a Teflon frying pan and one pot; sometimes it'd hard to find anything else in the local hardware store. I worry about the Teflon, too, and chuck it when it shows signs of flaking.
My husband is one of the lucky ones in that he never needed deodorant or anti-perspirant. I have used stainless steel all our married life (still using the same pans after almost 39 yrs). His mom used stainless steel. Yet, he has AD. My belief is that when they do find a cause, they will find there is more than one factor besides genetic/family. There are just too many people from too many different walks of life to be just one cause. I believe the greatest hope at this time is to diagnosis before symptoms ever occur and treat early to delay the onset. IF it is just one thing causing it, it will have to be something like a virus or bacteria - similar to what causes measles, mumps, polio, etc.
The laboratory mice were fed aluminum pots and pans for 1 year, and it was discovered that they developed Alzheimers, but they also started cooking their own meals. Furthermore, the teflon coated their feet so they could no longer run as fast, and were much easier to catch. Suprisingly also, they weight much less than the other mice who were fed cast iron pots and pans. Also, the mice has a larger levels of aluminum hydroxide, and they had fewer cases of acid reflux. The hydroxide reacts with excess acid in the stomach, reducing its acidity.[2] This decrease of acidity of the contents of the stomach may in turn help to relieve the symptoms of ulcers, heartburn or dyspepsia. It can also cause constipation and is therefore often used with magnesium hydroxide or magnesium carbonate, which have counterbalancing laxative effects. This compound is also used to control phosphate (phosphorus) levels in the blood of people suffering from kidney failure.
Because the brain lesions found in Alzheimer's disease sometimes contain traces of aluminium, there is concern that consumption of excess aluminium compounds may cause or contribute to the development of this and other neurodegenerative diseases.[4][5] However, multiple epidemiological studies have found no connection between exposure to aluminium and neurological disorders.[6][7][8]
In addition, elevated aluminium levels in blood, resulting from kidney dialysis with well water containing high aluminium, may result in dementia that is similar to but probably different from that of Alzheimer's disease.[9]. However, this hypothesis is controversial.
In 2007, tests with mice of the anthrax vaccine using aluminium hydroxide adjuvant were reported as resulting in adverse neuropathy symptoms.
Our conclusion: It is ok to cook in aluminum pots and pans, but one should avoid eating them. Also, you should wear rubber soles so that the teflon will not make your feet slippery.
What makes me so crazy is that I try to read what Phranque writes - and that's impossible! I think Phranque has been sniffing the lawn fertilizer again.
I noticed in particular that Phranque included footnote numbers this time, but he didn't give us the citations. I was looking forward to reading the research studies he used for this post!
Each number were indeed "foot" notes. The mice were numbered 1-9, and the numbers refer to them. They also had teflon on their feet, so at times the numbers fell off and were difficult to reattach. Sorry about the confusion.. Incidently, the mice have also been examined by our resident neurologist. They scored between 0 and 14 on the mmse test, and their attempt to draw a clock looked more like a piece of cheese with numbers on it.....
Phranque--you never answered my question on another thread about whether you are leaving your brain to science. I think it would be a wise move--think about the advances that could be made in humor.
I am in sunny florida, where global warming is overwhelming us.... Help!! Send us your icebergs!! And I mostly drink coffee, out of a ceramic mug... (the mice are not very happy about that)
Phranque you are my favorite researcher. Based on your findings, I've decided to stop eating aluminum pots and pans. Also to stop trying to eradicate the mice in my house. The poor things have enough persecution to deal with.
DH had cataract surgery this week. While I was waiting for him, I read every pamphlet on eye disorders that the opthalmologist had. There was one about a test (sorry I don't remember the name of the test), that warned against eating any heavy metals for four hours before the procedure. Is aluminum a heavy metal? If so, be careful, Jeanette!
Heavy metals would be lead, gold, mercury etc.... and the lighter ones such as aluminum, tin, platinum, and silver.... in either case, I would avoid eating cast iron, pots and pans and any form of metal utensils...in particular avoid forks... they are hard to digest.