The neurotoxic properties of aluminum have been known for long, with mounting evidence that chronic exposure can lead to many neurological diseases, including dementia, autism, and Parkinson’s disease.
Yet, as there is a lack of longitudinal studies, as well as push back from industries that use aluminum in their products, definitive scientific proof is difficult to establish. Still, despite the shortage of conclusive studies, mounting scientific evidence leaves little room for doubt.
A new case study from Keele University in the UK unequivocally shows high levels of aluminum in the brain of an individual exposed to aluminum at work, who later died from Alzheimer’s disease.
Indeed, aluminum exposure has been implicated in Alzheimer’s and a number of other neurological diseases until now, but this study claims to be “the first direct link” between Alzheimer’s disease and elevated brain aluminum following occupational exposure.
Namely, an aggressive form of early onset Alzheimer’s disease after eight years of occupational exposure to aluminum dust was found in the case of this 66 year-old Caucasian man , which scientists conclude “suggests a prominent role for the olfactory system and lungs in the accumulation of aluminum in the brain.”
There are many studies showing elevated aluminum levels in living individuals displaying a wide range of neurological. High aluminum levels in the tissues of people who died from Alzheimer’s disease have been found in a number of times before.
For example, in 2004, high aluminum levels were found in the tissues of a British woman who died of early-onset Alzheimer’s. This happened 16 years after an industrial accident dumped 20 metric tons of aluminum sulphate into her local drinking water.
Undoubtedly, exposure to aluminum is unfortunately an occupational hazard for those who work in industries like mining, factory work, welding, and agriculture.
Moreover, it is a fact that you ingest aluminum vapors every time your nose catches cigarette smoke wafting by. Inhaling aluminum dust or vapors sends aluminum particles directly into the lungs in a highly absorbable form, where they pass into the bloodstream and are distributed throughout your body, including the bones and brain.
It has been known that aluminum powder causes pulmonary fibrosis, and aluminum factory workers are prone to asthma. Studies of the health effects of aluminum vapors have been grim, pointing to high levels of neurotoxicity.
A featured documentary, The Age of Aluminum, is shining a light on this issue, revealing the “dark side” of this toxic metal, exploring the scientific links between aluminum and diseases such as breast cancer and neurological disorders. Additionally, it shows the way aluminum mining and manufacturing have created acute ecological problems across the globe, leading to environmental disasters in Hungary, South Africa, and the UK.'
In the film, neuroscientist Christopher Shaw reports:
“Many researchers are beginning to accept that aluminum has some sort of role to play in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Whether it does in others is still an open question, but Alzheimer’s is really coming into focus and it’s fairly clear that the body burden of aluminum from all the sources to which humans are exposed may be contributing to Alzheimer’s disease.”
Aluminum Can Be Found Everywhere
Naturally, aluminum occurs in soil, water, and air, but we are additionally contributing to the load with the mining and processing of aluminum ores, the operation of coal-fired power plants and incinerators and manufacturing of aluminum products.
Aluminum only changes its form by attaching or separating from other particles, but it can’t be destroyed in the environment. Rain washes aluminum particles out of the air and into our water supply, where they tend to accumulate rather than degrade. People who live in an industrial area have higher than average exposure to aluminum.
The average adult in the US consumes about seven to nine mg of aluminum per day in food, and a lesser amount from air and water, according to CDC. Only about one percent of the aluminum you ingest orally gets absorbed into your body—the rest is moved out by your digestive tract, if it’s functioning well.
Laboratory tests have found aluminum contamination in a vast number of products on the market, from foods and beverages to pharmaceuticals, which suggests the manufacturing process itself is a significant part of the problem.
A shocking number of foods and consumer products contain aluminum, including:
- additives such as magnesium stearate; drugs, such as antacids, analgesics, anti-diarrheals, and others;
- Cosmetics and personal care products such as shampoos, lotions, sunscreens, antiperspirants, deodorants (including salt crystals, made of alum)
- Foods such as baked goods and processed foods, baking powder, self- rising flour, salt, baby formula, coffee creamers, coloring and caking agents
- Aluminum products, including foil, cans, juice pouches, tins, and water bottles
- Vaccines—Hepatitis A and B, Hib, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), pneumococcal vaccine, Gardasil (HPV), and others
Aluminum equipment has a protective oxide film, but this can be damaged as fine fissures develop from normal wear and tear. This toxic metal serves absolutely no biological purpose, so the less of it you ingest, the better.
Researchers in a study published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe analyzed 1,431 non-animal foods and beverages for aluminum content, and their findings were the following:
- 77.8 percent of the studied foods and beverages had an aluminum concentration of up to 10 mg/kg
- 17.5 percent had aluminum concentrations between 10 and 100 mg\kg
- 4.6 percent of the samples had aluminum concentrations in excess of 100 mg/kg
Baked goods are very high because of the common practice of baking and storing foods on aluminum trays Therefore, if you cook your food in aluminum foil, you are introducing your own contamination. It was found that cooking meals in aluminum foil increases their aluminum concentration.
Researchers concluded, “eating meals prepared in aluminum foil may carry a health risk by adding to other aluminum sources.”
A 2006 study found that cooking meat in aluminum foil increased aluminum levels as follows:
- Aluminum levels increased with higher cooking temperatures and longer cooking times
- Red meats cooked in aluminum foil showed an increase in aluminum by 89 to 378 percent
- Poultry increased by 76 to 214 percent
Aluminum Is Detrimental For Your Brain
Scientists are clear that toxic metals damage brain tissue and lead to degenerative disease by producing oxidative stress—and aluminum is one of the worst offenders. Namely, it is as harmful for your central nervous system as cigarette smoke is for your lungs.
As the Alzheimer’s rates are increased daily, today’s multiple avenues of aluminum exposure are of great concern. Similarly to the particles in the environment, your body has a difficult time releasing it once aluminum is in your tissues.
When it enters your body, it travels around easily, unimpeded, boosting on your iron transport system. It crosses biological barriers that normally keep other types of toxins out, such as your blood-brain barrier.
Aluminum can accumulate in your brain over time and seriously damage your neurological health—regardless of your age.
Aluminum in children’s vaccines
The signs and symptoms of aluminum toxicity are shockingly similar to the ones of autism, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological diseases. The MSDS sheet for aluminum shows symptoms strikingly similar to those in common neurological diseases, including speech impairments and aphasia, dementia, depression, muscle weakness, memory problems, motor disturbances, and other neurological difficulties.
The number of vaccines containing aluminum which are given to children nowadays has quadrupled over the past 30 years. In the 1970s, children got only four aluminum-containing vaccines in their first 18 months of life, but now they typically receive 17. And as children’s aluminum burden has increased, so has the prevalence of childhood neurological disorders.
Vaccines present a particularly problematic source of toxic metal exposure, as it is in vaccines and it is also the most commonly used vaccine adjuvant. Even though research shows it may induce serious immunological disorders and neurological complications in humans, it is still considered “safe”.
Dr. David Ayoub claims that the presence of aluminum in vaccines may be even more dangerous than mercury.
90 percent of the children in one school developed ADHD during the course of a single school year, and their toxicity profiles all revealed massive amounts of aluminum.
If we regard the aluminum content on vaccine labels, the amount kids are getting is excessive, but if you add in the aluminum not listed on the labels ”accidental exposure” due to contamination—it’s a much more serious problem. Namely, Dr. Ayoub cites one study that found five to six times more aluminum in vaccines than what was actually listed on the labels.
Vaccine adjuvants can cause serious chronic brain inflammation, as aluminum targets your cerebellum and autonomic nervous system—the part responsible for biological processes over which you have no conscious control (breathing, blood pressure, balance, coordination, etc.).
Predicting Alzheimer’s
There has never been a way to accurately predict who will get Alzheimer’s, but that may be changing. If further research confirms what they expect, researchers at Georgetown University and University of Rochester made a medical breakthrough of epic proportions. Namely, they claim they have found a blood test that predicts this with 90 percent accuracy—and incredibly, with no false negatives.
The test measures the patterns of 10 specific fat-like compounds, lipids, associated with the plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. These 10 lipids are highly predictive of the possibility to become cognitively impaired.
Participants in the study were in their 70s, so the next step is to determine if the test is accurate earlier in life. Researchers say they are still several years away from implementing the test, but they all feel very hopeful.
Biomarkers such as lipids are tricky for Alzheimer’s because they change during the course of the illness. They are stage- dependent, as some occur in high levels during the early phase of the disease and then actually decrease after symptoms appear. Undoubtedly, much more research needs to be done before we have a grasp of this disease.
Nevertheless, even with a test that can predict whether or not you are in the process of developing dementia, there are no good treatments once you have it. Hence, you should be doing everything in your power to prevent Alzheimer’s. One of the strategies is helping your body detoxify from metals, such as aluminum.
Aluminum Impairs Your Body’s Ability to Detoxify
Removing mercury from vaccines and replacing it with aluminum may increase the issues caused by both toxins in your body. Aluminum impairs your body’s ability to excrete mercury by impeding your glutathione production, which is your most important intracellular detoxifier, required for reversing oxidative stress.
Therefore, in case of high levels of aluminum load, your body will potentially become more toxic from the mercury from, say, flu shots and fish, which will lead to malfunctioning of your detoxification system.
Sulfur is an extremely important dietary nutrient when it comes to metal detoxification, since the body requires it to manufacture glutathione, and it can be optimized through dietary sources. Whey protein concentrate is particularly high in cysteine, one of the two sulfur-bearing amino acids that are direct precursors to glutathione. Also, animal-based proteins seem to be one of your best bets as well as onions and garlic are good if they are grown in sulfur rich soils.
Sulfur deficiency can easily occur if you avoid consuming animal proteins, and this may be one of the most significant risk factors for choosing an animal protein-free diet.
However, you should not go overboard on meat. Most people need only about one gram of protein per kilogram of lean body weight, or about half a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. Additionally, as most factory farmed meat is of inferior quality and contaminated with a whole host of veterinary drugs, including antibiotics and growth hormones, opt for grass-fed and finished meats.
Aluminum Detoxification
In order to detoxify from aluminum, there are a number of potent chelators that can be of great benefit.
Normally, your first step would be to avoid further exposure to aluminum, by avoiding products such as:
- Aluminum laminated pouch drinks
- Antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate, or aluminum-zirconium compounds
- Toothpaste containing aluminum oxyhydroxide
- Aluminum espresso makers
- Aluminum cookware
-Anything that raises your glutathione. The body synthesizes glutathione from three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. Dietary sources of cysteine include eggs, meat, red peppers, garlic, onions, Brussels sprouts, whey protein, and wheat germ.
Raw fruits and vegetables, especially grapefruit, strawberries, orange, tomato, cantaloupe, broccoli, okra, peach, zucchini, avocado, asparagus, and spinach are rich in the precursors glutamate and glycine.
Other helpful treatments for improved glutathione metabolism are the following:
- Epsom salt baths
- Optimizing your vitamin D levels through sun exposure: vitamin D has been proven to increase intracellular glutathione levels
- MSM supplementation
- The supplement N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC) may also be useful. It is the rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione
- Exercise: Workout affects your adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels which is necessary for the production of glutathione
It has been scientifically proven to be able to improve memory in Alzheimer’s patients. There are some contraindications that curcumin is not recommended if you have biliary tract obstruction (as it stimulates bile secretion), gallstones, obstructive jaundice, or acute biliary colic.
-Melatonin: Studies found that melatonin has a metal binding role and is a useful supplement in the treatment of neurological disorders in which oxidative stress is involved, which includes Alzheimer’s. It appears to suppress the oxidative activity of aluminum in your brain.
Melatonin can also travel freely across all cellular barriers, facilitating the removal of toxic metals, including aluminum.
-Silica-rich water, such as Fiji water, contains 83 Mg of silica per liter. Researc published in 2013 discovered that consuming up to one liter of a silicon-rich mineral water daily for 12 weeks effectively excreted aluminum via the urine, without harmful effects on essential metals such as iron and copper.
Authors claimed: “We have provided preliminary evidence that over 12 weeks of silicon-rich mineral water therapy the body burden of aluminum fell in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and, concomitantly, cognitive performance showed clinically relevant improvements in at least 3 out of 15 individuals.”
To sum up, there is a very clear and growing evidence that aluminum has a role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. It is no surprise that people with aluminum toxicity display many of the same symptoms as those with dementia, Parkinson’s, ADHD, autism, and other neurological diseases, because aluminum targets exactly these areas of your brain and nervous system.
By taking a few steps to protect yourself, you’ll minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of this toxic metal, and move toward a long and healthy life.
In order to protect yourself, you need to be careful about your choices in food and personal products, and reduce your use of vaccines and other drugs that are often contaminated with aluminum as much as possible.
Moreover, you need to optimize your dietary sulfur, as your body needs sulfur to manufacture glutathione against aluminum overload.
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By Dr. Mercola via Healthy Food House
Original Article Source: articles.mercola.com
Other included references and sources linked in Dr. Mercola’s:
- Journal of Medical Case Reports February 10, 2104
- Medical News Today February 13, 2014
- Global Healing Center July 17, 2013
- Voice of America April 29, 2013
- CDC ATSDR Public Health Statement on Aluminum September 2005
- Environmental Sciences Europe November 28, 2011
- Environmental Sciences Europe November 28, 2011 Table 3
- Meat Sci December 2006
- NVIC.org Vaccination Pamphlet (PDF)
- MSDS Aluminum
- NBC News
- ABC News March 9, 2014
- Sci Transl Med March 5, 2014
- Rev Belge Med Dent (1984). 1990;45(2):53-8; discussion 58-9.
- Bottledwaterweb.com, Fiji Water
- Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2013;33(2):423-30
- Neuro Endocrinology Letters 2005 Oct;26(5):609-16.
- Journal of Pineal Research 1998 Jan;24(1):15-21
- Journal of Pineal Research 2005 Sep;39(2):129-36
- UCLA, Curcumin for Alzheimer’s
- Biogerontology. 2009 Aug;10(4):489-502.
- Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2008 Jan-Mar; 11(1): 13–19
Reference: www.healthy-holistic-living.com
