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Aluminum Cans & Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease is incurable and unpreventable, and its cause is undetermined. Indications that aluminum may be at fault have been widely debated, with studies showing different outcomes.

  1. Causes of Alzheimer's

    • Research indicates that various factors, such as age, genetic predisposition, other diseases and environmental agents, may be to blame for Alzheimer's disease. Research is ongoing, however, and a definitive answer is not yet available.

    Aluminum and Alzheimer's

    • The first hypothesis that linked aluminum and Alzheimer's was posed in the 1960s. According to the Alzheimer's Association's website, "Since then, studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer's. Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminum pose any threat."

    Sources of Aluminum Uptake

    • Aluminum occurs not only in everyday products such as beverage cans but also in antiperspirant, beer, tea, toothpaste, drinking water and a number of other products. Any small amount of aluminum is absorbed through the kidneys and expelled through urine, except in individuals who require dialysis.

    Expert Insight

    • According to the Alzheimer's Society's website, "The overwhelming medical and scientific opinion is that the findings ... do not convincingly demonstrate a causal relationship between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease." Further research must be conducted, however, to eliminate aluminum conclusively as a cause of the disease.

    Warning

    • Alzheimer's is a serious disease that only medical professionals can diagnose. Doctors determine the appropriate course of treatment if an Alzheimer's diagnosis is made.

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