The following excerpt is from the book:

Mineral and Trace Element Analysis, Laboratory and Clinical Application by E. Blaurock-Busch PhD. and Veronica Griffin PhD. 172 pages, $40 available through TMI Inc.

Aluminum (Al)- how toxic is it?

 

Toxic metals have become a serious threat to our health. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume every day all contain higher amounts of toxins than at any other time in human history. Environmental pollution is a worldwide health hazard, not only affecting the populations of industrial countries but also those of remote areas. Mineral treatment balances the different ratios and reduces heavy metal overload, which leads to improved health. It must be emphasized that heavy metal overload does not mean outright heavy metal toxicity. Toxicity manifests in acute toxic symptoms and can be monitored by serum tests, which show matching heavy metal levels.

 

Biochemistry

Chemically speaking, aluminum is a light metal. It is found in small quantities in plant and animal tissues and in blood and urine, yet there is no evidence that this element is essential for any metabolic function in humans or animals. Experiments with rats have not produced any deficiency symptoms when fed an aluminum-free diet. While the human body stores between 50 mg and l50 mg, the highest concentration is found in the lungs, most possibly resulting from inhaling polluted air. The average concentration in blood is 13 mcg/100mL.

 

Absorption and Excretion

Aluminum is a natural component of many foods and because intestinal absorption is considered to be poor, this trace element was not recognized as a health problem for a long time. In healthy people, more than 98% of the ingested aluminum is passed through the gastrointestinal tract, and the daily urinary excretion is approximately 100 mcg. However, some aluminum is absorbed into plasma where it is bound primarily to transferrin. Plasma aluminum is deposited primarily in bone and brain tissue.

 

Biochemical basis for toxicity:

The exact biochemical mechanism of the toxic effect of aluminum on cells is not known. Because aluminum is easily eliminated by the digestive and urinary tract, dietary ingestion was considered harmless until animal experiments proved that elevated aluminum ingestion considerably increases the risk of sodium fluoride poisoning. Medically, the clinical syndrome resulting from aluminum toxicity has been recognized for over half a century. Dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease who receive aluminum hydroxide gels for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia of renal failure, as well as patients who are treated chronically with aluminum-contaminated parenteral nutrition fluid are known to develop symptoms of aluminum toxicity. Since 1981, after 38 dialysis patients died as a result of aluminum poisoning, more attention has been paid to the potential dangers of aluminum.

 

Medical history:

Chronic aluminum gel therapy can lead to a progressive, fatal neurological syndrome. The onset is manifested by a speech disturbance characterized by hesitancy and stuttering, followed by disarthria, dyspraxia and dysphasia. Long-term hemodialysis contributes to increased aluminum deposition in the brain. Advanced symptoms of aluminum poisoning are myoclonic movement, seizure activity, progressive dementia, and parietal lobe signs such as constructional apraxia or directional disorientation. The syndrome, called dialysis encephalopathy, progresses to a stage where the patient cannot perform any purposeful movements and eventually dies.

 

Animal experiments in l942 indicated that even small quantities of aluminum cause electrical stimulation of the brain and can induce epileptic seizures. The injection of aluminum salts resulted in senile dementia, and exacerbated the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Studies from the University of Toronto in Canada showed that injections of aluminum caused learning disabilities in cats. Dr. David Shore, medical researcher at Elizabeth Hospital, Washington, D.C. reported that brain cells in Alzheimer's patients contained four to six times the amount of aluminum normally found. Tests performed on a worker in the aluminum industry who suffered from advanced encephalopathy produced aluminum concentrations 20 times above normal. Dr. Armand Lione, member of the Association of Pharmacist and Toxicologists, states that aluminum is far more detrimental to human health than generally accepted. Dr. Lione says that Alzheimer's disease is the most common manifestation of senile dementia or senility, afflicting an ever increasing number of the elderly. It has been estimated that in the United States between 60,000 to 90,000 people die each year due to this illness. It has further been estimated, that six to seven million Americans are affected by this incurable disease, first identified and described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906. Autopsies performed on Alzheimer's patients, show extremely high aluminum levels in the brain. Dr. David Shore, medical researcher at Elizabeth Hospital in Washington, D.C., found that brain cells of Alzheimer's patients contained four to six times higher quantities of aluminum compared to healthy controls. Apparently, aluminum causes changes in neuron structure, causing a breakdown of electrochemical neurotransmission. Researchers noticed years ago that the cortex of Alzheimer patients shows a selective cholinacetyl transferase deficiency. This enzyme is necessary for the synthesis of acetylcholin, an important neurotransmitter. However, supplementation with acetylcholin and lecithin did not produce noticeable improvement.

Signs and symptoms:

In addition to neurological disorders associated with long-term aluminum therapy, other complications may include bone disease, such as vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia and microcytic, hypochromic anemia.

 

Symptoms associated with elevated aluminum concentration in hair

     *Constipation, colic, nausea            *Senile dementia, senility

     *Gastrointestinal irritation            *Behavioral changes

     *Loss of appetite                            *Ataxia

     *Local numbness                            *Excessive perspiration

     *Loss of energy                            *Slurred speech

 

Sources:

The aluminum content of food varies considerably due to location and food processing, and daily intake may fluctuate from 10 mg to over 100 mg per day. Aluminum cooking utensils, salts, food additives, antacids, anti-diarrhea medication, cosmetics, and a multitude of pharmaceutical preparations contain varying concentrations of aluminum. Food prepared in aluminum vessels, prolonged feeding of soy formula to infants, and aluminum-rich drinking water has contributed to excessive aluminum exposure. While aluminum is not easily absorbed by humans, continuous intake of high doses of aluminum can elevate the concentration of liver, colon, bone and brain tissue.

 

Aluminum Concentration in Foods, in PPM

Fresh vegetables                  5-9.5

Fresh berries and stone fruit 2

Citrus fruit                                  0.1-2

Cow's milk                          0.4-0.8

Muscle meat and organ meat 0.2-0.6

 

Laboratory Analysis:

Need help? Best poker cards poker tutorial is at hand! · Hair is considered to be a reliable specimen for testing. High concentrations reflect chronic exposure and reduced ability to excrete excess aluminum.

· Serum levels in mcg/L:

    0-10     = considered normal concentration

   16-60 = considered elevated, but nontoxic

   61-100  = increased aluminum uptake, indicating increased exposure

  101-200 = levels above 100 indicate a potential clinical toxicity problem and need for surveillance >200 = levels associated with clinical symptoms

 

Urine: the clinical significance of elevated concentration is not reported

Water: 0.05 PPM is the EPA suggested maximum level that is considered safe for human consumption

Treatment:

Acute aluminum toxicity can be treated with the chelating agent desferrioxamine. After successful treatment, serum levels rise gradually as aluminum is removed from tissues and then fall well below pretreatment levels. A reversal of symptoms can be seen after chelation treatment; However, such therapy may need to be continued for years.

 

Therapeutic consideration

· Chronic Aluminum Exposure

A diet low in calcium and high in phosphorus facilitates aluminum absorption, and the osteoporotic who consumes a calcium-deficient diet is particularly at risk. Dr. Henry Schroeder states that the tissue of modern man contains considerably more aluminum than previous generations, largely because aluminum exposure is on the rise and an increasing number of patients display a reduced ability to excrete this trace element. To reduce high aluminum levels in hair requires long term therapy.

· Patients should avoid:

   Aluminum cooking utensils

    Cola drinks and lemonades

    Processed cheese, powdered milk, tea, food additives.

    Baking powder and baked goods containing aluminum salts.

    Deodorants

    Toothpaste which contains aluminum salts

    Antacids and aluminum-containing medications.

· Increase supplements of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6.

· If phosphorus levels are high, reduce protein and sugar intake accordingly.

 

Research:

Aluminum may be immunosuppressive.

Nordal KP et al., Aluminum accumulation and immunosuppressive effect in recipients of kidney transplants. Br. Med. J., 297:1581-82, 1099.

 

Aluminum toxicity is apparently common in otosclerosis causing reduced serum phosphate levels and abnormal calcium metabolism.

Yanick P. Solving problematic tinnitus: A clinical approach. Townsend Letter for Doctors. Feb-March 1985 p 31.

 

Hair analysis, when properly performed, is a reliable measure of tissue levels.

Yokel RA, Clin Chem 28(4):662-5, 1982.

Jenkins DW. Toxic Metals in Mammalian Hair and Nails

EPA Report 600/4-79-049 Aug 1979. US Natl. Techn. Info. Service.

 

Aluminum may cause a predisposition to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Lindegard B. Aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease. Lancet 1:267-68, 1989.

Yase Y. Environmental contribution of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis process. In G Serratrice et al. Eds. Neuromuscular Diseases. Raven Press NY 1984-:335-39.

Yase Y. The pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lancet 2:292-96, 1972.

 

Aluminum absorption is enhanced in the presence of elevated parathyroid hormone, predisposing patients to aluminum deposits in brain and bone. Dialysis patients with aluminum-related vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia may be euparathyroid and at risk for increased aluminum burdens.

Burnatowska-Hledin MA et al., Aluminum, parathyroid hormone, and osteomalacia. Spec. Top. Endocrinol. Metab. 5:201-26, 1983.

 

Aluminum blood levels are higher in older individuals.

Sohler A, Pfeiffer CC, Papaioannou R., Blood Aluminum Levels in a Psychiatric Outpatient Population. J. Orthom. Psych., vol 10, 1: 1981 p 54-60.