Dietary aluminum and Alzheimer's disease

Aluminum accumulation has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer's Disease, a hallmark of which is decreased brain glucose metabolism. Dietary sources of aluminum include that which comes from the contact of food with aluminum cook ware, containers, foil, and utensils. Normal aluminum intake from all sources is estimated as 12-14 mg per day. We have evaluated brain glucose metabolism in the presence of physiologically achievable levels of aluminum, in the range 10(-15) to 10(-5) M. Our results indicate no effect of aluminum in the range tested. Thus the contact of food with aluminum cooking utensils cannot alone raise plasma aluminum concentrations to the millimolar levels required to decrease brain glucose metabolism. Non dietary pathophysiological mechanisms are operating which lead to the accumulation of tissue aluminum, since most of dietary aluminum is excreted by the kidney.