Alzheimer and Aluminum

Another generally unnoticed but certainly important risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease is exposure to aluminum. The science relating to Alzheimer's and aluminum appears in our most highly respected medical journals. Reporting in the journal Neurology in 1996, researchers from the University of Toronto found an astounding 250% increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in individuals drinking municipal water high in aluminum, for a 10 or more year period of time. "The findings from epidemiological studies, coupled with the large body of experimental evidence of aluminum neurotoxicity and elevated concentration in the Alzheimer's disease affected brain, argue that priority should be given to consideration of lowering, and maintaining, acceptable limits of residual aluminum. One could certainly argue the rationale for reducing aluminum exposure "particularly for older age groups at risk for Alzheimer's disease" since aluminum accumulates over many years regardless of age, and we will all be members of the "older age group" eventually.

The likelihood of Alzheimer's disease being related to aluminum is further strengthened by a report in the journal The Lancet which described actual slowing of progression of dementia in Alzheimer's disease following administration of desferoximine, a chemical known to enhance aluminum excretion.

How aluminum increases Alzheimer's risk is now fairly well understood. Like other metals, aluminum directly enhances the formation of dangerous free radicals, leading to progressive damage of the delicate cell membranes surrounding neurons. Eventually this cumulative damage hampers neuronal function in such areas as memory and reasoning-characteristics commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The damaging effect of free radicals produced by the presence of aluminum can be significantly reduced by the administration of melatonin, a powerful brain antioxidant. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, a small almond shaped structure situated in the back of the brain. The production of this important hormone rapidly declines with age.

In an intriguing report from South Africa, researchers tried to explain why Alzheimer's disease is exceedingly rare in rural Africa, while prevalent in more developed areas. They reasoned that, "Since melatonin is produced by the pineal gland only in the dark, the excess of electric light in developed countries may help explain why Alzheimer's disease is more prevalent in these countries than in rural Africa."

In an article appearing in the Townsend Letter for Doctors, in 1993, Dr. Michael A. Weiner, executive director of the Alzheimer's Research Institute summarized our present understanding of the dangers of aluminum exposure stating, "Aluminum has been known to be a neurotoxic for nearly a century. The scientific literature on its toxic effects has now grown to a critical mass. It is not necessary to conclude that aluminum causes Alzheimer's to recommend that it be reduced or eliminated as a potential risk. It is the only element noted to accumulate in the tangle-bearing neurons characteristic of the disease and is also found in elevated amounts in four regions of the brain of Alzheimer's patients."

Aside from municipal drinking water, other potential sources for aluminum exposure are many and include non- dairy creamers, self-rising flours, cake mixes, and various processed foods, especially individually wrapped cheese slices. We are able to excrete about 20 mg of ingested aluminum each day, but this amount can be greatly exceeded by even a single antacid tablet which may provide as much as 200 mg of aluminum. Other medications high in aluminum include many buffered analgesic products. See the following list for additional aluminum containing medications.