At the present time

Aluminum is one of several factors scientists are investigating in the search for a cause of Alzheimer's disease.
The role of aluminum in the body and the brain is not well understood.
Scientists disagree as to whether or not there is a connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease.

What is aluminum?

We usually think of aluminum as a light silvery metal used to make pots and pans, airplanes or tools, but it also has a non-metallic form. It is this form of aluminum that makes up eight per cent of the earth's surface.

Where is it found?

In the environment

Aluminum in its non-metallic form is found everywhere:

naturally in the foods we eat
in drinking water both as a natural component and in some municipalities as an additive
in the water treatment process
in many food products, added during manufacturing
in many cosmetics
in drugs, to make them more effective or less irritating
in the air we breathe as a result of dry soil, smoke, and sprays

In the body
Aluminum is always present in the body, but its role is not fully understood. Very little of the aluminum taken in by a healthy individual is actually absorbed; most is flushed out of the body by the kidneys.

What has lead some scientists to believe there is a connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease?

Aluminum has been linked with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in particular by several studies. Like with many scientific theories, there remain many unanswered questions.

Some scientists have found more aluminum than normal in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Much debate goes on about the specific techniques used for measurement:
- Are they sensitive enough?
- Because aluminum is so plentiful, are the tissue samples being contaminated by aluminum in the environment?
Several studies report that people who live in areas with low levels of aluminum in the drinking water have less chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who live where levels of aluminum in the drinking water are higher. These studies have raised numerous questions:
- How much water does each individual drink?
- How much aluminum do they ingest from other sources, i.e., food, cosmetics, drugs?
- How do scientists determine if people have Alzheimer's disease?
- How is the aluminum measured in the drinking water?
A form of dementia that developed in people on artificial kidney machines was found to be caused by high concentrations of aluminum in the fluid used by the machines. The dementia was eliminated by reducing the aluminum concentration in the fluids. This type of dementia was not Alzheimer's disease.

At present so little is known about the underlying cell changes in Alzheimer's disease that definitive statements about any toxic substance, such as aluminum, cannot be made with any certainty.

So, what about the pots and pans?

Aluminum pots and pans contribute only very small amounts of aluminum to foods that are cooked in them. The amount does increase when food is acidic (for example, tomatoes, rhubarb).

There is no proof that the use of such utensils plays a significant role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.