Aluminium
Aluminium is the most common metal in the Earth’s crust, and it’s in food, water, antacids and many products. Healthy kidneys remove the small amount you absorb. Aluminium toxicity is a real problem mainly for people with kidney failure.
When it’s a real problem
- Kidney failure, especially with long-term aluminium-containing antacids or phosphate binders
- In the past, dialysis water with aluminium caused bone disease, anaemia and dementia (“dialysis dementia”), now prevented by water treatment
- Premature babies on long-term IV feeding
- Heavy workplace exposure to aluminium dust
Common worries
- Alzheimer’s: despite decades of research, there’s no convincing evidence that everyday aluminium exposure causes Alzheimer’s disease
- Deodorant and breast cancer: large studies haven’t shown a link
- Cookware and foil: tiny amounts move into acidic or salty foods; this is safe for people with healthy kidneys
- Vaccines: the tiny amounts of aluminium in some vaccines help them work and are safe; babies get more aluminium from milk and food
Aluminium and Alzheimer’s: the myth that refuses to oxidise.
Testing
- Blood aluminium is checked in people on dialysis
- Hair and urine “toxic metal” tests from alternative practitioners are unreliable and not recommended
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- “Detox” chelation for aluminiumNot needed with healthy kidneys, and chelation has real risks.
- Throwing out aluminium pans to prevent dementiaNo evidence it changes dementia risk.
Your kidneys are the detox. They don’t charge by the session.
Weird history
- In the 1850s aluminium was worth more than gold. Napoleon III reportedly gave his most honoured guests aluminium cutlery
- Australians and Brits say aluminium; Americans say aluminum. The man who named it, Humphry Davy, used both spellings
Common questions
Does aluminium cause Alzheimer’s?
There’s no convincing evidence that everyday aluminium exposure from food, cookware, deodorant or vaccines causes Alzheimer’s disease.
Who is at risk of aluminium toxicity?
Mainly people with kidney failure, especially if they take aluminium-containing antacids or binders, and premature babies on long-term IV feeding.
Is the aluminium in vaccines safe?
Yes. The tiny amounts help vaccines work and are much less than babies get from milk and food.
Helpful resources
- Dementia AustraliaInformation and support. Free.
- Australian Immunisation HandbookVaccine information. Free.
Evidence and more information
maladywise.com/aluminium/