Do aluminum pressure cookers cause Alzheimers Disease?
Metals have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, although it is unlikely that they are the sole cause for any of them. Interest in a possible connection between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease arose when autopsies of the brains of Alzheimer’s patients revealed higher than normal concentrations of aluminum. The toxicity of aluminum has been the subject of much controversy in the past few decades. Although it is generally believed that the metal is harmless to human health, a role for aluminum in Alzheimer’s disease has been suggested. The exact mechanism of aluminum toxicity is not known and a direct causal role has not been determined. Many scientists believe that the buildup of aluminum in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients is the result of damage to nerve cells, rather than the cause of this damage. Some studies have even suggested that the processing of the brain tissue at autopsy may artificially raise aluminum levels. However, there is some evidence showing that aluminum
