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Alternative Names: British/Australian/Canadian spelling is Aluminium.
The last several decades have seen a steady increase of aluminum in our environment and diet. Many junk and non-foods contain aluminum-based additives, for example raising agents in muffins and donuts. Many water utilities use aluminum sulphate to clarify drinking water. Other sources include antacids, buffered aspirin and anti-perspirants. Many food colors use aluminum salts to make the color brighter. Americans are most at risk, Europeans next with Africans and Asians much less likely to have problems.
Aluminum is harmful to all life forms and damages all types of tissue. No living systems use aluminum as part of a biochemical process. Aluminum has a tendency to accumulate in the brain and, to a lesser extent, bones. It is considerably less toxic than mercury, arsenic, lead or cadmium, but it appears to be more persistent. The danger is one that only manifests itself over long periods of time, so it is prudent to avoid consumption.
Unfortunately in the USA there is quite a strong and vocal effort by interested parties who use extremely well-funded lobbying organizations to present aluminium compounds as harmless minerals. However, there are now several independent researchers who are doing their own tests to establish the toxic effects of the metal. Despite the doubts generated by powerful vested interests there is more than enough evidence to justify eliminating it from our diet.
It is unlikely that onc can completely avoid aluminum in food. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust. The major concern is how to prevent aluminum from entering the brain.
Source
The following (non-US) food additives contain aluminum compounds: E173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556, E559. Antacids quite often contain aluminum trisilicate as does buffered aspirin. Foods containing aluminum-based additives include dry cake mixes, pastries and croissants made from frozen dough, processed cheeses, some donuts and waffles, muffins. The list of substances containing aluminium salts is quite depressing, even including many common toothpastes, especially tooth whitening products. A worrying development is the hidden aluminum in food coloring, even organic colorings such as cochineal can have been treated with color enhancers or mordants, usually aluminum.
The use of aluminum in drinking water is being raised as a concern in several countries. Most utilities in Europe and the United States do exceed the recommended level of 100mcg per litre, some by as much as sixty times.
Another obvious and easily avoided source is aluminum cooking pots and pans, this can be quite easily remedied by using enamelled, stainless steel and cast iron pots. Cooking in earthenware and glass containers is another option. There is no need to throw out all of your aluminium pots, it is OK to fry food in aluminium pans and intact teflon coatings (now also shown to be toxic, however!) will effectively prevent any contamination. The worst foods to cook in aluminum are acidic ones such as tomatoes, as the acid readily dissolves aluminum.
Reasons For Use
One series of tests came up with the finding that the majority of children suffering from an attention deficit disorder had much higher than average levels of aluminium in their hair. Experiments have shown that many of those Alzheimer's Disease patients given treatment to remove aluminum from their system experience an immediate reduction in the rate of deterioration.
Feeding even relatively small amounts of some aluminum salts to laboratory animals results in brain tissue damage identical to that found in Alzheimer's sufferers (neuro-fibrillary tangles). Recent research using laboratory rats has identified aluminum fluoride as a particularly nasty substance, readily penetrating the blood-brain barrier. Significant damage was registered when they were given drinking water with only 0.5 parts per million concentration.
Research shows that aluminum is twice as effective as cadmium in producing the neurfibrillary tangles (sometimes referred to as microtubule damage) that are characteristic of Alzheimer's Disease. Minute quantities of aluminium fluoride, which is present in drinking water - as little as 0.5 parts per million - were found to result in the formation of beta amyloid proteins, another characteristic of Alzheimers disease.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid all sources of aluminum, as should those on slimming and weight loss diets. It is believed that when iron, and calcium, and to a lesser degree magnesium, silicon and zinc levels drop, the uptake of aluminium worsens. Taking mineral supplements seems to be a good idea, particularly for vegetarians, since absorption of aluminum is dramatically reduced by the presence of iron in the body. Since aluminum is cumulative toxin, slow-acting and extremely persistent, older people are at particularly at risk: the kidneys and blood-brain barrier lose their effectiveness as we age.
Until the water utilities get the level of aluminum down to safer levels it is prudent to use untreated spring or mineral water for drinking and cooking. You can help eliminate toxic metals - including aluminum - simply by drinking sulfur-containing spring water such as "San Pellagrino". Beans and garlic are also believed counter build-up through their detoxifying sulfur compounds.
According to Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world's leading immunogeneticist and 13th most quoted biologist of our times (nearly 850 papers in peer review journals), if an individual has had five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his or her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease is ten times higher than if they had one, two or no shots. Dr. Fudenberg says it is due to the mercury and aluminum that is in every flu shot (and most childhood shots). The gradual mercury and aluminum buildup in the brain causes cognitive dysfunction.
Directions
Avoidance is currently the best way of protecting oneself from the serious damage that can result from long-term aluminum ingestion. The most effective way of preserving your mental acuity in to your later years appears to be eliminating the sources of aluminum in the diet. One can take steps to minimise the effects of aluminium in the environment through a sustained, three pronged attack:- Avoiding it. Aluminum-contaminated consumables are now very common. Being aware of the sources is the first step in elimination. Removing them from your diet can be quite easy if a gradual approach is taken.
- Blocking its uptake with supplements
- Eating foodstuffs that help to eliminate it from your system.
Expected Outcome
Many of those who have gone on to low aluminum diets have reported a reduction in irritability, headaches and significant improvements in memory and ability to concentrate. Parents reported improvements in children suffering from behavioral problems.
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Aluminum Consumption Avoidance can help prevent the following: | | | | | Aging |  Alzheimer's Disease | Alzheimer's Disease has been linked to a number of risk factors, including exposure to aluminum. Now from France comes a report that drinking water with high aluminum concentrations may indeed increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia. High sources of aluminum in the diet include: aluminum cooking utensils, aluminum-containing antacids, tap water (which may have aluminum sulfate added to remove particulate and organic matter).
Researchers determined that a concentration of aluminum in drinking water above 0.1mg/liter may be a risk factor of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Nearly 2,700 individuals were followed for an 8-year period to identify new cases of probable Alzheimer's or other dementing illness. The sample was divided into 77 drinking water areas, with surveys conducted to determine concentrations of aluminum, calcium, and fluorine in each water supply. The study authors point out that their findings support those of several other studies linking aluminum to Alzheimer's, but add that "this result needs to be confirmed using a higher number of exposed subjects." [American Journal of Epidemiology 2000;152: pp.59-66.]
One of our doctors comments: This is another reason to make sure that you limit your water intake to filtered or bottled. Aluminum is certainly an issue, but probably not as significant as chlorine exposure. Unless you have well water you will also need a filter for your shower as most of us will absorb for more toxins from bathing or showering than we ever will from drinking tap water. |
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KEY | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Alzheimer's Disease (Alzheimer's)
A progressive disease of the middle-aged and elderly, characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Antacid (Antacids)
Neutralizes acid in the stomach, esophagus, or first part of the duodenum.
Calcium
The body's most abundant mineral. Its primary function is to help build and maintain bones and teeth. The body also needs calcium to carry nerve signals, keep the heart functioning, contract muscles, clot blood and maintain healthy skin. Calcium helps control blood acid-alkaline balance, plays a role in cell division, muscle growth and iron utilization, activates certain enzymes, and helps transport nutrients through cell membranes. Calcium also forms a cellular cement called ground substance that helps hold cells and tissues together.
Dementia (Senile Dementia)
An acquired progressive impairment of intellectual function. Marked compromise exists in at least three of the following mental activity spheres: memory, language, personality, visuospatial skills, and cognition (i.e. abstraction and calculation).
Epidemiology
The study of the causes and distribution of disease in human populations.
Iron
An essential mineral. Prevents anemia: as a constituent of hemoglobin, transports oxygen throughout the body. Virtually all of the oxygen used by cells in the life process are brought to the cells by the hemoglobin of red blood cells. Iron is a small but most vital, component of the hemoglobin in 20,000 billion red blood cells, of which 115 million are formed every minute. Heme iron (from meat) is absorbed 10 times more readily than the ferrous or ferric form.
Kidneys (Kidney, Renal)
Bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines, each day handling about 50 gallons of blood to sift out about half a gallon of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The actual filtering occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Every kidney has about a million nephrons. In a nephron, a glomerulus -- which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary -- intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave your blood and enter your urinary system. The kidneys recycle chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and thus regulate their levels. Renal: Pertaining to the kidneys.
Liter (Liters, Litre, Litres)
A metric measure of volume equivalent to 1.057 liquid quarts or 0.2642 gallons.
Magnesium
An essential mineral. The chief function of magnesium is to activate certain enzymes, especially those related to carbohydrate metabolism. Another role is to maintain the electrical potential across nerve and muscle membranes. It is essential for proper heartbeat and nerve transmission. Magnesium controls many cellular functions. It is involved in protein formation, DNA production and function and in the storage and release of energy in ATP. Magnesium is closely related to calcium and phosphorus in body function. The average adult body contains approximately one ounce of magnesium. It is the fifth mineral in abundance within the body--behind calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Although about 70 percent of the body's magnesium is contained in the teeth and bones, its most important functions are carried out by the remainder which is present in the cells of the soft tissues and in the fluid surrounding those cells.
Microgram (mcg, Micrograms, ug)
0.000001 or a millionth of a gram.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Mineral (Minerals)
Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Protein (Proteins)
Compounds composed of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen present in the body and in foods that form complex combinations of amino acids. Protein is essential for life and is used for growth and repair. Foods that supply the body with protein include animal products, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Proteins from animal sources contain the essential amino acids. Proteins are changed to amino acids in the body.
Silicon
A non-essential mineral. Tissues such as arteries, tendons, skin, connective tissue, cornea and sclera (white of the eye) contain relatively large amounts of silicon. Collagen, the protein glue that holds us together, contains silicon in silanolate form. While vitamin C functions only as a catalyst in the formation of collagen, silicon is actually a structural part of collagen. Silicon containing substances are found in all cartilage and in the material binding cells together. Silicon may be needed for proper bone structure and growth.
Vegetarian (Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian, Vegetarianism, Vegetarians)
A person who consumes no meat, fish or fowl (chicken, turkey, etc.), but who may consume animal products such as dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, etc.), eggs or honey.
Zinc
An essential trace mineral. The functions of zinc are enzymatic. There are over 70 metalloenzymes known to require zinc for their functions. The main biochemicals in which zinc has been found to be necessary include: enzymes and enzymatic function, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Zinc is a constituent of insulin and male reproductive fluid. Zinc is necessary for the proper metabolism of alcohol, to get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in working muscles and to transfer it to the lungs. Zinc is involved in the health of the immune system, assists vitamin A utilization and is involved in the formation of bone and teeth.
Last updated: May 04, 2008
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