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For the most part aluminum pots got a bad rap when, in the 1970's, researchers found that there was an accumulation of aluminum in the affected areas in the brains of some people with Alzheimer's. The scientists suggested that perhaps the aluminum deposits were responsible for the development of Alzheimer's, and that cooking with aluminum pots and pans might be the source of the aluminum. This set up an alarm, and many people got rid of their aluminum kitchenware, and replaced it with stainless steel, with the hope of preventing Alzheimer's.
Since then it has become clear that the reason aluminum (and a number of other minerals) may accumulate in the plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is that the proteins in these plaques have an affinity for metals, so metals are deposited in them. The plaques themselves, rather than the metals that are deposited in them after they are formed, cause the damage in Alzheimer patients. (To learn more about Alzheimer's disease, you may want to visit the homepage of the Alzheimer's Association -- it has great information on everything from research to how to care for a loved one with ALzheimer's)
Fortunately, for most people, our intestines provide an effective barrier to aluminum, so that very little if any of the aluminum that leaches out of the pots into your food gets absorbed by our intestines into the body. The people who run into problems with aluminum are:
people with kidney disease, for at least three reasons:
their intestines tend to absorb more aluminum than the intestines of people without kidney disease;
they are frequently required to take large amounts of aluminum hydroxide gels to keep their blood levels of phosphate normal -- these gels absorb the phosphate in food, and the gel, together with the phosphate, goes out of the body in the stool/feces;
they may receive aluminum in the fluids used for dialysis -- dialysis fluids go directly into the blood stream, bypassing the intestine barrier to aluminum;
elderly people -- as people get older their kidneys may function less and less well;
low-birth-weight infants, and particularly infants who are being fed via vein, because their kidneys are immature, and intravenous feeding bypasses the intestine;
people who work with aluminum, and who inhale aluminum dust.
The major sources of aluminum in our diets are plant foods, processed cheese, chemical leavening agents, such as baking powder, used to make bread and other bakes goods rise, citrate (a food additive), and tea. Many antacids also are made with aluminum salts. Plants accumulate aluminum as they grow -- in fact aluminum toxicity of plants is a major problem for agriculture. We probably get more aluminum from these sources than we do from aluminum pots and pans.
For the most part aluminum pots got a bad rap when, in the 1970's, researchers found that there was an accumulation of aluminum in the affected areas in the brains of some people with Alzheimer's. The scientists suggested that perhaps the aluminum deposits were responsible for the development of Alzheimer's, and that cooking with aluminum pots and pans might be the source of the aluminum. This set up an alarm, and many people got rid of their aluminum kitchenware, and replaced it with stainless steel, with the hope of preventing Alzheimer's.
Since then it has become clear that the reason aluminum (and a number of other minerals) may accumulate in the plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is that the proteins in these plaques have an affinity for metals, so metals are deposited in them. The plaques themselves, rather than the metals that are deposited in them after they are formed, cause the damage in Alzheimer patients. (To learn more about Alzheimer's disease, you may want to visit the homepage of the Alzheimer's Association -- it has great information on everything from research to how to care for a loved one with ALzheimer's)
Fortunately, for most people, our intestines provide an effective barrier to aluminum, so that very little if any of the aluminum that leaches out of the pots into your food gets absorbed by our intestines into the body. The people who run into problems with aluminum are:
people with kidney disease, for at least three reasons:
their intestines tend to absorb more aluminum than the intestines of people without kidney disease;
they are frequently required to take large amounts of aluminum hydroxide gels to keep their blood levels of phosphate normal -- these gels absorb the phosphate in food, and the gel, together with the phosphate, goes out of the body in the stool/feces;
they may receive aluminum in the fluids used for dialysis -- dialysis fluids go directly into the blood stream, bypassing the intestine barrier to aluminum;
elderly people -- as people get older their kidneys may function less and less well;
low-birth-weight infants, and particularly infants who are being fed via vein, because their kidneys are immature, and intravenous feeding bypasses the intestine;
people who work with aluminum, and who inhale aluminum dust.
The major sources of aluminum in our diets are plant foods, processed cheese, chemical leavening agents, such as baking powder, used to make bread and other bakes goods rise, citrate (a food additive), and tea. Many antacids also are made with aluminum salts. Plants accumulate aluminum as they grow -- in fact aluminum toxicity of plants is a major problem for agriculture. We probably get more aluminum from these sources than we do from aluminum pots and pans.
