Friday, July 28, 2017

Recent evidence linking Aluminum and Alzheiemer's Disease

Article from University News - (the links will not work )

7 Pieces of Evidence Linking Aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease

By UHN Staff • Apr 20, 2017

Aluminum is a neurotoxin, that is, a poison to the brain and nervous system. Some experts have long speculated that this metal plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and evidence is steadily mounting that it indeed does. Fortunately, there’s also evidence that suggests that a number of natural plant extracts and nutrients can prevent and/or reduce aluminum toxicity in the brain and prevent the progression of memory loss and other cognitive deficits.

The evidence linking aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease

A team of neuroscientists led by Dr. Walter Lukiw, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Ophthalmology at Louisiana State University, has been studying the potential contribution of aluminum to the onset, development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease for about 30 years. Dr. Lukiw and his fellow researchers recently summarized the research linking aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease in a peer-reviewed article published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.[1]
“Aluminum’s contribution to Alzheimer’s disease is based upon at least seven independently derived observations,” the researchers stated.[2] Briefly, those seven pieces of evidence are:

Aluminum strongly promotes beta-amyloid plaques in the brain at levels corresponding to those currently found in humans.
Aluminum promotes inflammation in the brain by increasing the pro-inﬂammatory molecule known as nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kB), a prominent feature in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Out of the many thousands of brain gene messenger RNA molecules (molecules that convey genetic information from DNA to cause gene expression), aluminum increases the same ones that are increased in Alzheimer’s disease.
Adding aluminum to the diets of animals with Alzheimer’s disease causes additional brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease such oxidative stress, programmed cell death, and deficits in gene expression.
Aluminum also causes the same types of cellular energy deficits that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, such as impaired signaling involving ATP and energy utilization.
A very signiﬁcant number of studies link the amount of aluminum in drinking water to the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. (Worldwide, aluminum is added to drinking water as a clarification or “finishing” agent.)
Out of all the Alzheimer’s disease drug treatments tried to date, chelation using an aluminum chelator has been shown to be one of the most effective therapeutic strategies yet.

Digging deeper: what animal studies have found

There is no ethically acceptable way to directly test whether aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Because it’s not ethical to dose humans with aluminum, researchers must rely on other scientific methods of investigation to determine aluminum’s role in this devastating disease. One way to do this is through animal studies.
It is now well-established that aluminum directly causes Alzheimer’s-like memory impairment, behavioral problems, and learning deficits in animals, even in very low doses.[2-5] For instance, rats that consume aluminum in amounts equivalent to those ingested by Americans from their food and water develop severe Alzheimer’s-type cognitive deterioration in old age.[5]
Animals exposed to aluminum don’t just develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, they also show definitive evidence of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains.

Aluminum accumulates in the brain cells of particular regions of the brain most prone to damage in Alzheimer’s disease.[6]
Many studies have demonstrated how aluminum causes beta-amyloid plaques to abnormally form in the brains of animals.[2,7-10] These plaques, the hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease, form when pieces of sticky proteins called beta-amyloid clump together and block cell-to-cell signaling at synapses. They also activate immune system cells that trigger inflammation and devour disabled cells. Aluminum-induced beta-amyloid plaques occur in exactly the same brain regions in animals as they do in humans.
Third, another brain change consistent with Alzheimer’s disease also occurs in animals exposed to aluminum: the formation of what are known as neurofibrillary tangles.[6, 10-12] Neurofibrillary tangles are abnormal collections of twisted protein threads found inside nerve cells that consist primarily of a protein called tau. Like beta-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles damage the ability of neurons to communicate with each other and are a hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

Prominent Researchers speak out

Different teams of researchers from all over the world have recently published papers outlining the convincing evidence from both human and animal studies and warning of the dangers of aluminum as a cause of Alzheimer’s disease.[10, 12-15]
It is enlightening to learn what some of these experts have to say about aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease in their own words.

“Overall, the evidence indicates that Alzheimer’s disease is a human form of chronic aluminum neurotoxicity.” J.R. Walton, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia[12]
“…studies suggest that aluminum may not be as innocuous as was previously thought and that aluminum may actively promote the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.” Stephen Bondy, Environmental Toxicology Program, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA[16]
“The hypothesis that aluminum significantly contributes to Alzheimer’s disease is built upon very solid experimental evidence and should not be dismissed. Immediate steps should be taken to lessen human exposure to aluminum…” Lucija Tomljenovic, PhD., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada[14]
“There is growing evidence for a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease… it is widely accepted that aluminum is a recognized neurotoxin, and that it could cause cognitive deﬁciency and dementia…” Masahiro Kawahara, Department of Analytical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Japan[10]
“As scientific publications continue to support the hypothesis that aluminum toxicity is involved in Alzheimer’s disease, it would be prudent to adopt strategies for preventing excessive aluminum exposures…” Maire Percy, PhD, University of Toronto, Canada.[18]

The case of the Alzheimer’s patient and the aluminum in his brain

Another of the world’s preeminent researchers studying aluminum’s negative health effects is Dr. Christopher Exley, PhD, of Keele University in the United Kingdom. Dr. Exley and his team have found that aluminum appears to accumulate in the brain with age.[15] Their most recent research demonstrates that many people over the age of 70 have a potentially pathological amount of aluminum accumulated in their brains.[15]
Dr. Exley and his colleagues were recently the first to demonstrate significantly elevated brain aluminum levels in an individual diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease following occupational exposure to aluminum.[17] Occupational exposure to aluminum is directly associated with impaired cognitive function; the more aluminum to which people are exposed, the poorer they perform on tests for memory and other cognitive functions.
The case presented by Dr. Exley involved a previously healthy man who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 58, after more than eight years of regular exposure to aluminum sulfate dust. At first, the man complained of headaches, tiredness, and mouth ulcers. He then started to show memory problems and began suffering from depression before he was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
After his death in 2011, his brain’s cerebral cortex was found to have abundant beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, consistent with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. At the request of his family and the local coroner, samples of the man’s brain tissue were sent to Dr. Exley for analysis of aluminum. According to Dr. Exley, it is extremely rare to be given as much brain tissue as was provided for analysis, and the opportunity enabled the most thorough analysis of a brain region’s aluminum content ever undertaken.
The data confirmed the accumulation of aluminum in the man’s brain tissue. In some samples from the frontal lobe, the aluminum levels were excessive and high enough to cause disease. While Dr. Exley’s data cannot prove that aluminum caused the man’s aggressive Alzheimer’s disease, he states that it is highly likely given the known neurotoxicity of aluminum.[17]

How to reduce your risk of aluminum-induced Alzheimer’s disease

With the growing evidence linking aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease, we all need to personally take steps now to reduce our exposure to this ubiquitous metal. Part 1 of this series, Does Antiperspirant Cause Cancer? Here’s Why You Should Be Concerned About Aluminum Toxicity, provided information on common sources of aluminum exposure, along with ideas on how to avoid it.
But what about the aluminum that is already lodged in our bodies? Fortunately, researchers have discovered that a number of natural compounds can reduce the body’s burden of aluminum and prevent or treat its toxic effects. In 8 Ways to Protect Yourself from Aluminum Poisoning, I will examine the many ways we can safely and naturally deal with aluminum toxicity.

Here is a recipe for making silica water at home. Silica water is very effective at reducing your bodies burden of aluminum.

http://medford.wickedlocal.com/videos/1CE2B239-416E-4F10-8A9B-648C16290075/Melrose-resident-Dennis-Crouse-explains-how-to-make-water-rich-in-silica-without-buying-Fiji-water-Crouse-contends-drinking-silica-rich-water-leads-to-lowered-levels-of-aluminum-in-the-brain

[1] Front Aging Neurosci. 2014 Apr 8;6:62.
[2] Arch Toxicol. 2009 Nov;83(11):965-78.
[3] Exp Neurol. 2008 Dec;214(2):293-300.
[4] Curr Alzheimer Res. 2010 Aug;7(5):401-8.
[5] Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;2012:914947.
[6] J Inorg Biochem. 2007 Sep;101(9):1275-84.
[7] Neurochem Res. 2014 May 3. [published electronically ahead of print]
[8] Histol Histopathol. 2008 Apr;23(4):433-9.
[9] Neurochem Res. 2014 May 3. [Epub ahead of print]
[10] Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2011 Mar 8;2011:276393.
[11] Brain Pathol. 2013 Nov;23(6):633-44.
[12] J Alzheimers Dis. 2014 Jan 1;40(4):765-838.
[13] Neurotoxicology. 2010 Sep;31(5):575-81.
[14] J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;23(4):567-98.
[15] Expert Rev Neurother. 2014 Jun;14(6):589-91.
[16] Toxicology. 2014 Jan 6;315:1-7.
[17] J Med Case Rep. 2014; 8: 41.
[18] J Inorg Biochem. Nov 2011; 105(11): 1505–1512.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Blood-Brain Barrier's Role in Alzheimer's Prevention

Benefits and Alternatives to Dietary Coconut Oil

My sister asked if I would recommend taking coconut oil in order to improve cognition for Alzheimer’s patients. This question resulted in some research that found benefits and negative aspects of, and alternatives for ingesting coconut oil on a regular basis. Here is the short list of coconut oil benefits for the body:

· Coconut oil is an alternative energy source for sugars and long chain fatty acids

· Coconut oil can be converted to energy even in the presence of neurotoxic aluminum

· Coconut oil promotes the generation of new mitochondria, called mitochondrial biogenesis¹

Negative Aspects of Dietary Coconut Oil

There are several problems with ingesting large amounts of coconut oil regularly:

· Lauric acid, comprising 50% of coconut oil, increases LDL by 16% in humans and LDL is linked to vascular disease, such as stroke and heart attack³

· Coconut oil is a mixture of medium chain fatty acids as triglycerides

· Coconut oil does not contain essential fatty acids (e.g. linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid)

· Dietary coconut oil does not result in weight loss²

Better Alternatives to Dietary Coconut Oil

There are supplements that have the same benefits as dietary coconut oil and will result in better sugar and stored fat utilization. These supplements are:

· Dissolved silica (a.k.a. OSA) for lowering your body-burden of aluminum^4-6

· CoQ10 for improving your energy and cognition⁷

· PQQ for increasing mitochondrial biogenesis and cognition^7-9

There are also supplements that will lower LDL and triglycerides, both of which are linked to an increased risk of vascular disease, such as stroke and heart attack:

· PA for reducing triglycerides by 15% and LDL by 8%¹⁰

· EPA for reducing triglycerides by 5 to 10%¹¹

· Vitamin D for reducing triglycerides by 23%¹²

By lowering aluminum levels in your body, glycolysis and fat metabolism will return to normal. This coupled with new mitochondria will allow you to metabolize or “burn” stored fat resulting in dieting with weight loss. Lowering triglycerides and LDL decreases the risk of vascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Biochemistry of the Coconut Oil Diet

Since the Bayer and Hall processes for aluminum purification from bauxite were developed in 1888, there has been a steady increase in the amount of aluminum humans ingest. This aluminum upsets how our mitochondria produce energy from sugar and fat. Mitochondria are the organelles that produce energy in your body and they can be trained in one of two ways to utilize coconut oil for energy production:

· Daily ingestion of coconut oil

· Daily ingestion of aluminum

It may take several weeks before mitochondria become optimally adapted to metabolizing coconut oil for energy. However, if you have been ingesting aluminum on a regular basis, your mitochondria may already be adapted. Aluminum, at levels found in drinking water (108ppb), inhibits the first step in sugar metabolism (i.e. glycolysis)¹³. The biochemical response to the inhibition of glycolysis is the conversion of sugar to fat as triglycerides comprised of long chain fatty acids¹⁴. Therefore your stored fat may be due to a combination of the sugar and aluminum you ingest.

Fat can be stored as adipose tissue or metabolized for energy. However, aluminum also inhibits the production of L-carnitine required for movement of long chain fatty acids in stored fat to the mitochondria for conversion to energy^15-19. Therefore aluminum inhibits the production of energy from stored fat making fat loss impossible.

Aluminum ingestion upsets both sugar and fat metabolism resulting in a lack of energy and cognition, vascular disease, along with obesity that does not respond to dieting^15,19.

The good news is that although aluminum inhibits the production of energy from long chain fatty acids, it does not inhibit energy production from medium chain fatty acids, such as coconut oil²⁰. Not surprisingly the cognition of some Alzheimer’s patients is improved within 90 minutes of ingesting 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut oil mixed with whipped cream to make it more palliative²¹. Because of accumulated aluminum inhibiting glycolysis¹³, the mitochondria of Alzheimer’s patients have already adapted from sugar to dietary fat. Their improvement in cognition by ingesting coconut oil is quick but lasts only as long it takes to metabolize the dietary coconut oil. Therefore a steady diet of coconut oil is required for chronic improvement.

There are better solutions for improved cognition of AD patients, such as lowering aluminum ingestion and increasing aluminum excretion with silica water (i.e. Fiji Water or Silicade – See my book “Prevent Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Stroke”)^4-6. This will restore sugar and fat metabolism to normal. Also taking a daily supplement of the natural cofactors PQQ and CoQ10 will improve energy and cognition^7-9.

References

1. Balietti, M., et al.; A ketogenic diet increases succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and recovers age-related decrease in numeric density of SDH-positive mitochondria in cerebellar Purkinje cells of late-adult rats; Micron; 41(2):143-48 (2010)

2. Johnston, C.S., et al.; Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets; Am. J. Clin. Nutr.; 83:1055-61 (2006)

3. Tsai, Y.H., et al.; Mechanisms mediating lipoprotein responses to diets with medium chain triglyceride and lauric acid; Lipids; Sep.; 34(9):895-905 (1999)

4. Edwardson, J.A., et al.; Effect of silicon on gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum; The Lancet; 342(8865):211-12 (1993)

5. Carlisle, E.M., and Curran, M.J.; Effect of dietary silicon and aluminum on silicon and aluminum levels in rat brain; Alzheimer Dis. Assoc. Disord.; 1(2):423-30 (2013)

6. Davenward, S,, et al.; Silicon-rich mineral water as a non-invasive test of the 'aluminum hypothesis' in Alzheimers disease; J. Alzheimer's Dis.; 33(2):423-30 (2013)

7. Nakani, M., et al.; Effect of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) on mental status of middle-aged and elderly persons; Food Style; 21 13(7):50-3 (2009)

8. Chowanadisai, W., et al.; Pyrroloquinoline quinone stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation and increased PGC-1 alpha expression; J. Biol. Chem.; Jan.; 285(1):142-52 (2010)

9. Onyango, I.G., et al.; Regulation of neuron mitochondrial biogenesis and relevance to brain heath; Biochim Biophys Acta; jan.; 1802(1):228-34 (2010)

10. Bernstein, A.M., et al.; Purified palmitoleic acid for the reduction of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and serum lipids: a double blinded, placebo controlled study; J.Clin. Lipidol.; 8(6):612-7 (2014)

11. Harris, W.S.; n-3 Fatty acids and serum lipoproteins: human studies; A. J. Clin. Nutr.; 65(suppl.):1645S-54S (1997)

12. Rejnmark, L., et al.; Simvastatin does not affect vitamin D status, but low vitamin D levels are associated with dyslipidemia; Results from a randomized, contolled trial: Internat. J. Endrocrin.; Article ID 957174 (2010)

13. Lai, J.C., and Blass, J.P.; Inhibition of brain glycolysis by aluminum; J. Neurochem.; Feb.; 42(2):438-46 (1984)

14. Mailloux, R.J., et al.; Hepatic response to aluminum toxicity: Dsylipidemia and liver diseases; Exper. Cell Res.; 317:2231-2238 (2011)

15. Gaballa, I.F., et al.; Dyslipidemia and disruption of L-carnitine in aluminum exposed workers; Egyptian J. Occup. Med.; 37(1):33-46 (2013)

16. Lemire, J., et al.; The disruption of L-carnitine metabolism by aluminum toxicity and oxidative stress promotes dyslipemia in human astrocytes and hepatic cells; Toxicol. Lett.; Jun.; 203(3):219-26 (2011)

17. Waly, M. I-A., et al.; Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal; Mol. Psychiatry; 9:358-70 (2004)

18. Waly, M. I-A., and Deth, R.; Neurodevelopmental toxins deplete glutathione and inhibit folate and vitamin B12-dependent methionine synthase activity – a link between oxidative stress and autism, FASEB J.; 22:894 1 (2008)

19. Fritz, I.B., Kaplan, E., Yue, K.T.; Specificity of carnitine action on fatty acid oxidation by heart muscle; Am. J. Physiol.; Jan.; 202:117-21 (1962)

20. Heo, K.N., et al.; Medium-chain fatty acids but not L-carnitine accelerate the kinetics of [14C]triacylglycerol utilization by colostrum-deprived newborn pigs; J. Nutr.; 132:1989-1994 (2002)

21. Reger, M.A., et al.; Effects of beta-hydroxybutyrate on cognition in memory-impaired adults; Neurobiol. Aging; Mar.; 25(3):311-4 (2004)

Monday, October 24, 2016

Halloween Scares Me to Death Because of Aluminum

Halloween Scares Me to Death Because of Aluminum

I remember when the scariest thing on my doorstep at Halloween was a child in a monster or alien costume. Now I find the scariest thing to be the bags of chocolate and brightly colored candy that are clutched in the hands of small children on my doorstep. My fear stems from aluminum in both chocolate and the food dyes used for candy. This aluminum is a neurotoxin that will continue to kill neurons in these children’s brains long after Halloween. Aluminum has been linked to autism in children and should not be allowed in candy. Cocoa trees are the source of chocolate. Cocoa trees prefer a clay soil that is rich in aluminum. This results in 84 samples of chocolate from different sources containing from 170 to 4,260 mcg of aluminum per ounce.

The following table taken from my book “Prevent Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Stroke” shows how much aluminum is in food and candy.

Foods and Sweets Containing Aluminum Lake as an AFC³⁹⁷
Food or Sweets Colored with Aluminum Lake (Serving Size in Parentheses)	AFC per Serving (mg/Serv.)	*Estimated Amount of Aluminum per Serving (mcg/Serv.)**
Kellogg Frosted Cherry Poptart (1) – Red 40	10.1	1,110
Marsh Green Sprinkles Cookie (1) – Yellow 5, Blue 1	1.4	154
Hostess Orange Cupcake (1) – Yellow 5 & 6	3.5	470
Betty Crocker’s Blue Cupcake (1) – Blue 1	1.2	84
Betty Crocker’s Red Cupcake (1) – Red 40	34.7	3,470
Okedoke Cheesy Popcorn (1 cup) – Red 40	3.8	420
Combos (1/3 cup) – Yellow 5 & 6, Blue 1	3.2	350
Hamburger Helper (1 cup prepared) – Yellow 5 & 6	7.7	1040
Scalloped Potatoes (1/2 cup prepared) – Yellow 5 & 6	1.4	190
M&M Milk Chocolate (48 Pieces) – Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	29.5	2,950
M&M Peanuts (15) – Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	14.1	1,410
Skittles Original(61) –Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	33.2	3,320
Reese’s Pieces (51) – Blue 1, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	6.6	660
Rainbow Nerds (1 tablespoon) – Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	3.7	370
Sprees (8 pieces) – Blue 2, Yellow 5, Red 40	1.9	230
Red Jawbreakers (3) – Red 40	1.2	130
Orange Jawbreakers (3) – Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40	0.4	50
Purple Jawbreakers (3) – Blue 1 & 2, Red 40	0.7	70
Green Jawbreakers (3) – Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6	0.5	50
Yellow Jawbreakers (3) – Yellow 5 & 6	0.2	27

AFC stands for artificial food colorant * Assumes no alumina extender and 2 atoms of aluminum per molecule of colorant, except 3 for Yellow 5, and assumes a mixture of 4 colors to be approximately 10% aluminum.

Currently some manufacturers of candy are promising to remove aluminum from candy in the future but for now both chocolate and colored candy is neurotoxic and should not be given to children. For Halloween this year my wife and I are giving the children on our doorstep rubber spiders and erasers that are too big to swallow.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

An Aluminum Free Cake for My Mother's 90th Birthday

A Cake for My Mother’s 90^th Birthday

My mother has been suffering from short term memory loss for 4 years. For the last two years she has followed the recommendations in my book “Prevent Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Stroke” including eliminating all major sources of aluminum from her diet and drinking 3 to 4 cups of Fiji water a day in order to lower her accumulation and increase her excretion of aluminum. Following these recommendations has stopped her declining short term memory loss and stabilized her cognition.

As my mother’s 90^th birthday approached I needed to order a decorated vanilla birthday cake that was aluminum free. Three possible sources of aluminum in a birthday cake are baking powder, food color dyes, and the aluminum baking pan. Calling most of the bake shops in the area revealed that most of them made their standard cakes with baking powder containing alum. However I finally found Sarah at Iced Bakery who was a baker in town willing to make a custom aluminum-free birthday cake for my mother.

Baking Powder

Most baking powders contain alum. Alum is a combination of aluminum and sulfate ions making a salt that sometimes contains additional ions, such as ammonium, potassium, or sodium. Alum is acidic and when combined with other acids and baking soda is sold as double acting baking powder. Baking powder releases a gas (e.g. carbon dioxide) when heated causing bread and cake to rise. The use of alum in baking powder continues today but should be banned due to the neurotoxicity of the aluminum it contains (approximately 50mg/tsp.). Other non-aluminum containing acidic salts can be used in place of alum to make baking powder and these salts include mono calcium phosphate and cream of tartar. “Aluminum-free” baking powder made with mono calcium phosphate and baking soda still contains some aluminum as an impurity (approximately 1mg/tsp.). Homemade baking powder made with cream of tartar and baking soda has a much lower level of aluminum (less than 0.004mg/tsp.). The recipe for this baking powder is:

2 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar (for leavening)

1 Tbsp. Baking Soda (for leavening)

1 Tbsp. Corn Starch (for anti-clumping)

History of Baking Powder

The first scientist to make the observation that alum in bread is a health problem is the English epidemiologist Dr. James Snow, M.D. In 1857 Dr. Snow published an article in a British medical journal, “The Lancet”, pointing out that the incidence of rickets in children is higher in London than in towns north and west of London. Rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults is due to a lack of sufficient calcium and phosphate for bone strength and vitamin D for calcium absorption. With the help of a chemist, by the name of Dr. Arthur Hill Hassall, Dr. Snow had found that baker’s bread made in London contained alum while homemade bread made in towns north and west of London contained no alum. Dr. Snow suggested that aluminum complexed with phosphate preventing the absorption of phosphate in the gut required for strong bones. It took 128 years for research to fully explain why aluminum can cause rickets and osteomalacia. In early 1980s J.A. Roberston, et al. (1983), W.G. Goodman, et al. (1984), and G.L. Klein, et al. (1985) found in rats, dogs, and humans that aluminum inhibits the biosynthesis of the active form of vitamin D that is required for calcium absorption. More recently it has been discovered that neurotoxic forms of aluminum, such as alum, also cause a wide variety of neurologic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke.

The Royal Baking Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana was organized in 1873 and through extensive advertising and branding became the premier manufacturer of baking powder in the U.S during the late 1800s. Their baking powder was made from cream of tartar (a by-product of wine production) and baking soda (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate). The recipe was developed by Brothers Joseph and Cornelius Hoagland and pharmacist William Ziegler. Their business grew and was moved to New York in 1890 to become the largest producer of baking powder in the U.S. In 1889 William M. Wright with the help of chemist George Campbell Rew developed double acting baking soda made with baking soda and two acids, monocalcium phosphate and alum (sodium aluminum sulfate). This mixture was less expensive than using cream of tartar and the baking powder was advertised as releasing carbon dioxide over a wider temperature range. They marketed their product under the name Calumet Baking Powder. In 1928 the firm was sold to General Foods and it became the largest producer of baking powder in the U.S.

The popularity of alum containing baking powder is in spite of health warnings by dietary experts and a bitter metallic flavor that is experienced by approximately 30% of those who eat the resulting bake-goods. In 1897 eight years after alum containing double acting baking powder was developed, N.Y. University Professor of Clinical Medicine, W. Gilman Thompson, M.D. warned in his book “Practical Dietetics” that “Baking Powder … should be free from alum …”. In spite of warnings and research showing aluminum is a neurotoxin, double acting baking powder is still recommended today in popular books on baking such as James Peterson’s “Baking” published in 2009.

Artificial Food Color Dyes

Many artificial food color dyes (AFCs) contain the aluminum salt of the colorant and in some cases colorants are combined with alumina (a.k.a. aluminum oxide). The total amount of AFCs added to food per person in the U.S. rose 5-fold from 1950 (12mg/person/day) to 2012 (62mg/person/day). On average 10% of aluminum containing AFCs is aluminum.

Although Sarah agreed to make an aluminum free cake for my mother, she did not realize until reading the ingredients that her colorants for the icing contained “Aluminum Lakes”. Manufacturers of AFCs are required to list aluminum salts of colorants as “Aluminum Lake” on the package. In order to eliminate aluminum and still color the icing on my mother’s cake I agreed to send Sarah a set of pink, blue, and yellow natural food dyes made by ColorKitchen. These natural dyes use beet juice extract for pink, an extract of blue-green algae (a.k.a. spirulina) for blue, and turmeric extract for yellow. These natural dyes do not contain aluminum but look just as good as AFCs that do contain aluminum.

History of Artificial Food Dyes

At the beginning of the 20^th century a number of synthetic dyes and pigments became available. They were synthesized from bituminous coal and were called “coal-tar dyes”. These dyes were less costly to produce and superior in color when compared with natural dyes available at the time. In the U.S. only seven of these synthetic dyes were initially approved for food under the U.S. Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. These dyes are in general soluble in water but not soluble in fats and oils. In order to add color to icing used on cakes, the aluminum salts of these dyes are used as an “Aluminum Lake” in the icing. The Lakes are not soluble, but are dispersible in the icing. In general Lakes are more stable than natural dyes. In addition to cake icing these “Aluminum Lake” dyes are used for coated tablets, candies and chewing gums, lipsticks, soaps, shampoos, and talcs.

Aluminum Baking Pan

Acidic and/or fluoride containing cake mix, baking powder, and water used to prepare the cake mix will corrode the aluminum baking pan releasing neurotoxic aluminum ions into the cake during baking. The easiest way to eliminate this source of aluminum is to use a stainless steel baking pan. There are also thin plastic sheet liners for baking pans that will withstand baking temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. These disposable liners, made of PET (a.k.a. polyethylene terephthalate, PTL, PETE, CPET), not only allow baking in an aluminum pan without adding aluminum to the cake but also make cleanup easier. Likewise the use of an aluminum baking pan lined with parchment paper will prevent aluminum corrosion from adding neurotoxic aluminum ions to the cake.

History of Aluminum Cookware

At the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, aluminum cookware was first introduced to housewives, who wisely viewed it with suspicion because of concerns about the quality of the cookware and the toxicity of aluminum. It took approximately 50 years before aluminum pots and pans gained acceptance. Because it is lighter and less costly than the alternatives, currently aluminum is the most common cookware on the market.

Conclusion

With Sarah’s help as the baker, I can give my mother a beautiful custom aluminum-free birthday cake for her 90^th birthday party.

From the historical data presented here it is evident that this custom aluminum-free cake would have been the standard cake in the late 1800’s. Since 1900 aluminum containing double acting baking powder, “Aluminum Lake” containing artificial food dyes, and aluminum baking pans have become popular. All of these add aluminum to cakes that we currently consider the new standard cake. This aluminum contamination extends to all commercial baked goods, such as bread, muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, waffles, and biscuits.

The fact that aluminum containing double acting baking powder, “Aluminum Lake” artificial food dyes, and aluminum cookware all became popular in the early 1900’s explains why Alzheimer’s and autism are modern diseases first observed in the early 1900’s. It is time that consumers demand aluminum free food, including bake-goods, for our brain health and the brain health of our family. For more details on how to eliminate aluminum from your body and your diet, please read my book entitled “Prevent Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Stroke With 7 Supplements, 7 Lifestyle Choices, and a Dissolved Mineral”.

For more information about sources of Aluminum view the video my wife and I made on YouTube titled:
Brain Fitness in the Aluminum Age - Eliminating Aluminum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt5gfKxpHZU&t=2s

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Introduction to the blog

Introduction

Welcome to my blog. This blog introduces you to the culprit responsible for Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke. This monster lurks in our food, drinking water, pharmaceuticals, and brains. This blog also introduces you to 7 supplements, 7 lifestyle choices, and one dissolved mineral which work together to prevent the monster from causing Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke in your brain and the brains of those you love.

My interest in dementia started after an acquaintance died of the after-effects of a stroke and my mother and a friend’s mother, both 86 years old, began suffering severe frustration and panic attacks due to short term memory failure. Having no preconceived notions about dementia and autism, I spent a number of years reading research articles in scientific journals. The search for the causes of Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke started as a mystery and once solved it transformed into a crusade to rid my life of an evil monster. I found this monster lurking in my medicine cabinet, food pantries, refrigerator, and the water pipes leading into my home. This monster has been damaging the brains of newborn infants, elderly family members, and everyone in between for years. It has remained undetected because of our lack of information and false reassurances by those in positions of responsibility who we have trusted with our health. It is time to take on this monster as both individuals and as a culture. Wake up, read this blog and my book, and become informed before this monster claims your brain and the brains of those you love. I had not originally planned to write a blog or a book but once the monster was unveiled, I had no other choice.

The close relationship of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to autism, and stoke will be discussed. These diseases are modern mismatch diseases created by our carefully evolved brains attempting to function in the presence of a chemical monster not experienced during the brain’s evolution.

The underlying goal of this blog is to create a cultural change in the way we view Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke. This blog encourages preventative measures to be taken by you and your family. It also encourages cultural changes on a larger scale than your family. For these changes to take place we need more people all wanting the same changes. So please tell family and friends about this blog.

My book, Prevent Alzheimer's Autism and Stroke with 7 Supplements, 7 Lifestyle Choices and a Dissolved Mineral, is available on Amazon in print and kindle.

Prevent Alzheimer's, Autism, and Stroke

Neurons and Exercise