Alzheimer's Disease and aluminum

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Vincent Yang - 27 Jan 2004 13:46 GMT

Hi,10 years ago we were told that aluminium was thought to be one of the
main causes of Alzheimer's. Since then more and more food products
that used to be packaged in plastic are now packaged in aluminium
foil. Even allowing for protective coatings, obviously aluminium is
not thought to be the danger that it once was. My question is this -
was it shown experimentally that aluminium is not responsible for
Alzheimer's disease, and, given that it is very difficult to prove a
negative, if so how? Or alternatively, has a different cause been
found?Thanks in advance!Vincent

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Darryl - 27 Jan 2004 19:47 GMT

>Hi,10 years ago we were told that aluminium was thought to be one of the
>main causes of Alzheimer's. Since then more and more food products
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>negative, if so how? Or alternatively, has a different cause been
>found?Thanks in advance!Vincent

While the mechanism by which Al affects AD is not known, Al exposure
has been shown to increase both oxidative stress and inflammatory
events in the brain of mice.

In 2002, researchers found that Al activates AChE (and thereby
decreases levels of acetylcholine in the brain) and causes aggretation
of the Abeta protein (a marker in AD; the chicken or the egg) seen in
the diseased brain of mice.

However, in the Feb. 2004 issue of J. Neuroscience, the authors state
that: "Al (in tap water) exposure may not be sufficient to cause
abnormal production of the principal component of senile plaques
directly but does exacerbate underlying events associated with brain
aging and thus could contribute to the progression of
neurodegeneration."

That is, Al is not thought to be a primary factor in the disease
process although it may contribute to degeration once under way.

As for dietary sources, the gastrointestinal tract absorbs less than
1% of dietary Al. Major sources include tap water, food, some
antacids and anti-perspirants. If you use aluminum cookware on a
daily basis, you may expose yourself to an additional 1-2mg over the
other 50 or so mg already in the diet.

Head over to Google and enter "aluminum cookware alzheimer's"

Darryl.

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Jason Bolt - 29 Jan 2004 15:31 GMT

My mother cooked with Club Aluminum pots and pans from the late 60's until
the early 90's and she has alzheimers at 82. My dad died at 72 or he might
have gotten it as well. She always used a lot of aluminum foil too. My
wife and I have stopped drinking soft drinks from al, stopped using al foil,
and stopped buying frozen lasagna, cobblers, etc that come in al pans. We
recently purchased a pyrex dish that is the same size as frozen cobblers.
The next time we fix one, we will remove it from the foil prior to heating.
Sometimes we get frozen yeast rolls in al pans. We remove them and put them
on steel cookie sheets prior to baking. A lot of loaf pans are made from
al. We got a steel one with a drainer and use that for meat loaf. We will
probably never know for sure about al, but why take a chance? I have
actually gotten where I can taste the al if something has been in it.

> Hi,10 years ago we were told that aluminium was thought to be one of the
> main causes of Alzheimer's. Since then more and more food products
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> negative, if so how? Or alternatively, has a different cause been
> found?Thanks in advance!Vincent

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Darryl - 29 Jan 2004 15:53 GMT

The main risk associated with Al cookware is acidic food. Anything
with a low pH can potentially 'solubilize' the Al--a salt is created
and enters the body via the GI tract. Take a look at your Al pots and
pans; if they're pitted, it's because the Al has been 'extracted' by
this method. Cookware, however, is one thing we have greater control
over (e.g., use Pyrex instead) as compared to drinking water, food and
other major sources of Al.

>My mother cooked with Club Aluminum pots and pans from the late 60's until
>the early 90's and she has alzheimers at 82. My dad died at 72 or he might
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>> negative, if so how? Or alternatively, has a different cause been
>> found?Thanks in advance!Vincent

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Evelyn Ruut - 29 Jan 2004 16:02 GMT

> My mother cooked with Club Aluminum pots and pans from the late 60's until
> the early 90's and she has alzheimers at 82. My dad died at 72 or he might
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> probably never know for sure about al, but why take a chance? I have
> actually gotten where I can taste the al if something has been in it.

Dear Jason,

My parents cooked in aluminum pots for all their lives. My dad is 90 (will
be 91 in 2 mos) and his mind is as sharp as it ever was.

He does his own taxes, manages a considerable stock portfolio, does all his
own banking, shopping, gardening, snow shoveling. He rides his bicycle
every day and only recently developed some vascular problems due to
cholesterol issues, but his mind is still sharp enough that nobody could
even hope to try to pull anything over on him :-). (My mom died in 2000 of
heart related illness).

Trust me, if aluminum gave anyone alzheimers my dad should have it. They
even cooked tomato based stuff in the pans, which pits them, meaning you are
ingesting even more aluminum that way! I don't think they even owned a
pan that wasn't made of aluminum!

On the other hand, my mother in law who is 83 used ONLY stainless steel pans
for years and she is just entering later stages of Alzheimers.

Off topic slightly, but I just LOVE the new non stick, coated aluminum foil.
No fears of absorbing the aluminum, it makes cleanup a breeze, and it
doesn't melt when you put it on top of tomato based dishes in the freezer.
I freeze lasagna and other dishes for convenience, and it always bothered me
to see the tomato sauce melting holes in the aluminum!

So my observations may be anecdotal, but there is probably some other cause
than using aluminum pots and pans. Wish they'd discover exactly what it
was!

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Evelyn

(To reply to me personally, remove sox)

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