Here is an excerpt from just one of many online discussions: Causes No-one really understands the cause (or causes) of Alzheimer's disease. Genetic inheritance may play a part and it does seem that a rare early onset form of the disease is inherited in a few families. Scientists have also suggested that environmental factors such as virus infections, toxins, head injuries and metabolic disorders may be involved. No-one really knows for sure. Some people think that one of the clues to the mystery may lie in aluminium. There is circumstantial evidence linking aluminium with Alzheimer's disease. But it is impossible to say so far whether aluminium may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease, although it is looking less and less likely. Scientific evidence The evidence has accumulated over a period of decades and comes from several sources: 1. Aluminium is one of the few substances known to cause tangles when injected into animals. Although these tangles are not identical to those which occur in man, they appear to contain some similarities. These experiments also cause a loss of memory in the animals. 2. It has been claimed that, in Alzheimer's disease, the aluminium content in the nerve cells with tangles is higher than in adjacent, undamaged nerve-cells. Similar findings have been claimed for tangle-bearing cells present in a rare disease similar to Alzheimer's disease (the so-called ‘Guam’ disease). However, recent studies using a new and very powerful kind of analytical microscope (nuclear microscopy) have shown that the high levels of aluminium in tangles are actually caused by the way the cells were prepared when they were being examined. 3. Studies in Newcastle appeared to show that there is a deposit of aluminium combined with silicon at the centre of the senile plaque. However, other research has suggested that this is not the case. 4. Aluminium was identified as the cause of ‘dialysis dementia’. Patients undergoing dialysis for kidney disease developed severe memory loss and other symptoms including convulsions. By removing aluminium from the dialysis fluid this condition was prevented. Patients with ‘dialysis dementia’ do not, however, seem to develop the plaques and tangles seen in Alzheimer's disease. 5. Studies on the uptake of aluminium have indicated that it enters the brain bound to a protein called transferrin. Transferrin is a protein that binds and transports iron around the body. The greatest uptake of aluminium in the brain occurs in areas rich in transferrin receptors and these coincide with the regions which are vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease. Iron, together with copper, binds to proteins such as A beta. Iron and copper are highly reactive ‘transition metals’ which are involved in ‘oxidation-reduction reactions’. These reactions lead to the production of highly toxic chemicals called ‘free radicals’, which are probably responsible for cell death in all degenerative diseases. There is some evidence that aluminium, which is not a highly reactive metal like iron or copper, may interfere with this process, possibly allowing more free iron to circulate and so generate more free radicals which in turn generate yet more free radicals in a chain reaction. 6. A recent survey suggests that rates of Alzheimer's disease are higher in areas with the highest level of aluminium in the water supply. The disease was approximately one and a half times more frequent in districts with higher levels of aluminium in the water, compared with those in which it was low or absent. This is a relatively small increased risk and the researchers agree that this research is inconclusive, raising more questions than answers. Taking all the research findings together, the Scots law verdict of ‘not proven’ seems like the best verdict, although ‘not guilty’ is beginning to look more likely. However there is little doubt that aluminium is neurotoxic (poisonous to brain cells) and excessive intake should be avoided. [From: http://www.alzscot.org/pages/info/aluminium.htm] I understand that the evidence is far from conclusive. However, given that my Mom and my paternal grandmother both had the disease, I don't fine it too much trouble to avoid using aluminum foil, aluminum pots and pans, or buying food that comes in aluminum cans, and I avoid anti-perspirants that contain aluminum as well. It makes me feel better to do these things, and I'm not advocating this strategy for anyone else -- it just makes sense to me. Penny
On 5/28/13, Tom dickhoner <[email protected]> wrote: > I have never heard anything negative about aluminum foil except that you > might not want to swallow if if a little sliver of it is accidentally not > removed from your baked potatoe. Other than that, it is perfectly safe. The > only thing I use it for is to cover a baking dish for refrigeration. > > Someone on the list wrote last fall saying she was afraid to use her > microwave oven for health reasons. > > We can't worry about things. All we can do is to do what we know, do what we > know or think is safe, and that is all. > > Tom Dickhoner from Cincinnati, Ohio > _______________________________________________ > Cookinginthedark mailing list > [email protected] > http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark > _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
