Aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease

The existence of a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease is not a new proposal.  For over forty years, studies have tried to demonstrate the effects of aluminum on the human body. At present, aluminum and its physiological role remain an enigma. Aluminum exists in the air we breathe, food we eat and water we drink. But little of it is actually absorbed by a healthy body. Most is expelled by the kidneys. Despite this, there exists a great deal of ambiguity over aluminum as a cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

In 1993, the World Health Organization cited autopsies in a public health report that found high amounts of aluminum in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. This led them to state, “There is a suspected link between Alzheimer’s disease and the toxicity of aluminum.”  Aerosol deodorants and antiperspirants have received a great deal of scrutiny because of the aluminum concentrations they contain and a potential neurotoxicity. Studies have suggested the inhaled aluminum compounds of these aerosol products could have a direct nasal-olfactory pathway to the brain.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not found sufficient evidence to make a determination that aerosol deodorants and antiperspirants cause Alzheimer’s disease. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry presently state, “We do not know for certain whether aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease.”  The Alzheimer Society questions the aluminum-Alzheimer’s relationship by referring to studies that have not found increased levels of aluminum in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They also mention the lack of increased Alzheimer’s disease in occupations with high aluminum exposure. Tea leaves, known to carry higher amounts of aluminum, have not been found to cause increased Alzheimer’s disease, especially in societies or cultures where tea is consumed regularly. Regarding a causal relationship between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Society state, “It has proved extremely difficult to devise studies to resolve this problem one way or another. Alzheimer's is a common disease with multiple causes, while aluminum is widespread in the environment, and there are no methods that allow us to measure an individual's 'body burden' or lifetime exposure to this element.”

References:

Alzheimer’s Society: Aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease
Food and Drug Administration: Antiperspirant Drug Products For Over-the-Counter Human Use; Final Monograph
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry: ToxFAQs for Aluminum
Azheimer Society: Aluminum
Howard LeWine - Health Risks from Aluminum Pots or Deodorant?