Non-invasive therapy to reduce the body burden of aluminium in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

There are unexplained links between human exposure to aluminium and the incidence, progression and aetiology of Alzheimer's disease. The null hypothesis which underlies any link is that there would be no Alzheimer's disease in the effective absence of a body burden of aluminium. To test this the latter would have to be reduced to and retained at a level that was commensurate with an Alzheimer's disease-free population. In the absence of recent human interference in the biogeochemical cycle of aluminium the reaction of silicic acid with aluminium has acted as a geochemical control of the biological availability of aluminium. This same mechanism might now be applied to both the removal of aluminium from the body and the reduced entry of aluminium into the body while ensuring that essential metals, such as iron, are unaffected. Based upon the premise that urinary aluminium is the best non-invasive estimate of body burden of aluminium patients with Alzheimer's disease were asked to drink 1.5 L of a silicic acid-rich mineral water each day for five days and, by comparison of their urinary excretion of aluminium pre-and post this simple procedure, the influence upon their body burden of aluminium was determined. Drinking the mineral water increased significantly (P < 0.001) their urinary excretion of silicic acid (34.3 ± 15.2 to 55.7 ± 14.2 µmol/mmol creatinine) and concomitantly reduced significantly (P = 0.037) their urinary excretion of aluminium (86.0 ± 24.3 to 62.2 ± 23.2 nmol/mmol creatinine). The latter was achieved without any significant (P > 0.05) influence upon the urinary excretion of iron (20.7 ± 9.5 to 21.7 ± 13.8 nmol/mmol creatinine). The reduction in urinary aluminium supported the future longer-term use of silicic acid as non-invasive therapy for reducing the body burden of aluminium in Alzheimer's disease.

Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to silicon and protection against aluminium accumulation in the brain (ID 290), “cardiovascular health” (ID 289), forming a protective coat on the mucous membrane of the stomach (ID 345), n

“…The Panel considers that the claimed effect is general and non-specific, and does not refer to any specific health claim as required by Regulation (EC) No 1924No /2006.…”

“…In one intervention study, patients with Alzheimer's disease were asked to drink 1.5 L of a silicic acid-rich mineral water each day for five days (Exley et al, 2006). Patients' urinary excretion of EFSA Journal 2011;9(6):2259 aluminium was determined pre-and post-intervention.…”

Aluminium in the human brain

“…There are also good chemical reasons for the co-localisation of aluminium with the neuropathological features, senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, Lewy bodies and lipofuscin as each of these have significant component parts (beta amyloid [44], tau [45], alpha synclein [46] and lipofuscin [36], respectively) with strong affinities for binding aluminium. It remains to be determined whether the presence of aluminium in these structures is also indicative of a role in their formation, as has been suggested recently for both neurofibrillary tangles [47] and senile plaques [48]. The cerebrospinal fluid and brain interstitial fluid will act as reservoirs of aluminium that are in continuous exchange with all other compartments.…”

Silicon content in beers from Korean market and estimation of its alimentary uptake

“…In addition, OSA increases collagen concentration in calves (Calomme & Vanden Berghe 1997) and has a potential beneficial effect on the bone collagen formation in osteopenic females (Spector et al 2008). In addition, according to the recent research regarding the biofunctions of Si, the correlation of aluminium and Alzheimer's disease has included the use of silicon in beverages (Exley et al 2006;González-Muñoz et al 2008a,b), due to its abilities both to reduce aluminium uptake in the digestive system and cause renal excretion of aluminium.…”