Abstract

SUAY LLOPIS, Loreto  and  BALLESTER DIEZ, Ferran. Review of the Studies on Exposure to Aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease. Rev. Esp. Salud Publica [online]. 2002, vol.76, n.6, pp.645-658. ISSN 2173-9110.

A review has been made of the epidemiological studies published evaluating the role of aluminum as a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease. A search for published studies was conducted in the Medline database by combining the terms "Aluminum" and "Alzheimer's disease". In most of the studies reviewed, exposure to aluminum in drinking water was examined. These studies suggest that a relationship exists between aluminium (Al) and Alzheimer's disease involving relative risks of around 2 for populations exposed to Al concentrations in drinking water higher than 0.1 mg/l. Types of exposure to this metal by other means (food, medications and occupational exposure) have received little attention. These epidemiological studies entail certain methodological limitations, and their results are not consistent, so the results available to date therefore not making it possible to clearly determine that any relationship exists between exposure to aluminum and the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, the toxic effect of aluminum on human health cannot be ruled out either, and thus exposure to aluminum should be monitored and limited as far as possible.

Keywords : Alzheimer's disease; Aluminum; Drinking water.

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