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Research further supports the controversial theory associating
aluminum with Alzheimer's disease as a study found the disease is
more common in regions where levels of aluminum in drinking water
are highest.
Further, the metal was found to speed cell death when tested on
human cells in a lab.
Researchers focused on monomeric, or single molecule, aluminum,
which is most easily absorbed by human cells. This is a different
form than the multiple molecule type used in aluminum pots and pans.
There have been suggestions that aluminum cookware might pose a
risk for Alzheimer's, however the type of aluminum used in cookware
does not appear to affect human cells.
In the study, researchers tested water from regions of Italy in
1998. Total aluminum levels ranged from 5 to 1,220 micrograms per
liter, while monomeric aluminum levels alone ranged from 5 to 300
micrograms per liter.
According to recommendations from environmental officials, total
aluminum levels should be below 200 micrograms per liter.
Results indicated that death rates from Alzheimer’s disease
were highest in areas with the highest levels of monomeric aluminum
in the water.
Researchers then tested the effects of monomeric aluminum on human
immune-system cells and bone cancer cells. Even very small quantities
of aluminum modified cellular processes like normal cell death.
Further, researchers combined aluminum with beta-amyloid, a protein
found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, and found that the
combination killed even more cells.
The findings raise the question of whether aluminum is involved
in diseases other than Alzheimer’s, although researchers say
that more research is needed to determine how aluminum actually
affects people.
Annual
Experimental Biology Meeting San Diego April 14, 2003
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