Mounting evidence suggests that chronic exposure to Aluminum leads to a variety of neurological diseases including forgetfulness, autism and Parkinson’s disease.

The problem however is that it’s been difficult to prove, due to the lack of longitudinal studies as well as the denial and pushback from companies that use aluminum in their products.

However, even with the shortage of conclusive studies, experts say he evidence they do have leaves little room for doubt.

For example, recently a case study from Keele University in the UK was able to show extremely high levels of aluminum in the brain of an individual whose work exposed them to aluminum. They later passed away due to brain fog.

And while there have been studies linking aluminum to brain fog, this study appears to be the first to show a direct link between brain fog and elevated brain aluminum following occupational exposure.

The Aluminum-Brain Fog Connection

The 66-year-old white male developed what was considered to be an aggressive form of early onset brain fog after spending eight years at a job where he was frequently exposed to aluminum dust.

High aluminum levels have also been found in other patients in the past who’ve died of brain fog. In 2004, a British woman who’ died of brain fog was found to have extremely high aluminum levels in her body tissues.

Her death came just 16 short years after an industrial accident dumped 20 metric tons of aluminum sulphate into her local drinking water.

Numerous studies show that elevated levels of aluminum are present in individuals suffering with neurological symptoms.

The Occupational Hazards Of Aluminum Exposure

If you work in the mining, welding or agriculture industries or do any type of factory work then aluminum exposure is in fact an occupational hazard for you.

When you inhale aluminum dust or vapors you’re inhaling a highly absorbable form of aluminum directly into your lungs. These particles then enter your bloodstream and are taken to various parts of your body, including your brain and your bones.

In addition to affecting your brain, inhalation of aluminum has been shown to cause pulmonary fibrosis and people working in aluminum factories are also more prone to respiratory problems like asthma.

And several clinical studies have linked the inhalation of aluminum vapors to high levels of neurotoxicity.

With all this proof, why are government regulators and doctors turning a blind eye to the health and environmental effects of aluminum?

One documentary filmmaker has taken it upon themselves to find the answer to this very question.

The ‘Seedy Side’ Of The Aluminum Industry

In the documentary, The Age of Aluminum, the filmmaker reveals the “seedy side” of this toxic metal, diving into the scientific links between aluminum and diseases like breast cancer and other neurological disorders.

They also dive into the ecological problems that aluminum mining has created across the world. These problems have led to environmental disasters in Hungary, South Africa and the UK.

Aluminum Is All Around Us

While soil, water and air do contain natural levels of aluminum, we’ve made the problem worse through mining and processing of aluminum ores, manufacturing products made from aluminum and by operating coal-fired power plants and incinerators.

It’s impossible to destroy aluminum in the environment, instead it simply changes its form by attaching itself to or separating itself from other particles.

When it rains, aluminum particles are washed out of the air and end up in our water supply. Here aluminum accumulates over time and if you live in an industrial area your risk of exposure is much higher.

Reports by the CDC suggest that on average an adult in the US consumes approximately seven to nine mg of aluminum per day through food and a slightly lower amount through air and water.

Usually less than one percent of the aluminum you ingest orally is ever absorbed into your body, the majority is moved out through your digestive system, assuming your digest system is healthy.

Many consumer products have tested positive for aluminum. These include everything from food and beverages to pharmaceuticals, which points the finger at the manufacturing process itself.

A disturbing number of foods and consumer products have tested positive for aluminum, including:

• Foods like baking powder, self-rising flour, salt, baby formula, coffee creamers, baked goods and processed foods, coloring and caking agents
• Drugs, such as antacids, analgesics, antidiarrheals, and others.
• Vaccinations—Including Hepatitis A and B, Hib, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), pneumococcal vaccine, Gardasil (HPV), and others
• Cosmetics and personal care products such as antiperspirants, deodorants (including salt crystals, made of alum), lotions, sunscreens, and shampoos
• Aluminum products, including foil, cans, juice pouches, tins, and water bottles

Does Your TV Dinner Come With A Side of Aluminum?

One of the biggest contributors to aluminum contamination is our food.

In a study published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe, researchers evaluated 1,431 non-animal foods and beverages for aluminum content.¹

Here is what they found:

• 77.8 percent had an aluminum concentration of up to 10 mg/kg
• 17.5 percent had aluminum concentrations between 10 and 100 mg\kg
• 4.6 percent of the samples had aluminum concentrations in excess of 100 mg/kg

Several different aluminum containing compounds are often added to foodstuffs. Contamination continues when the food comes in contact equipment made out of aluminum.

Most aluminum equipment comes with a protective oxide film, however over time wear and tear on the equipment can create small fissures where the aluminum can leech out.

If you cook using aluminum foil, you’re creating even more contamination.

Meats cooked using aluminum foil have been shown to have higher levels of aluminum than those that aren’t.

And experts warn that eating meals prepared using aluminum foil can in fact pose a health hazard.

And while one exposure won’t make much of a difference, it’s the cumulative effect that ultimately causes problems.

In a 2006 study, researchers found that cooking meat in aluminum foil increased its aluminum levels:² For example:

• Red meats cooked in aluminum foil showed an increase in aluminum by 89 to 378 percent
• Poultry increased by 76 to 214 percent
• And the higher the cooking temperature or the longer the food was cooked resulted in higher aluminum levels.

Aluminum Goes Straight to Your Head

The central nervous system is especially prone to toxic metals. Much like smoking is linked to lung cancer, exposure to heavy metals can directly lead to a variety of neurological problems.

With the rate of forgetfulness growing, experts are concerned with the multiple avenues of aluminum exposure. Just like other heavy metals, once aluminum finds it’s way into your body it has a very hard time getting rid of it.

There is no biological purpose to aluminum, so the less exposure you get the better.

However, once it enters your body, it is easily transported via your iron transport system. It easily crosses biological barriers designed to keep other toxins out, including the blood brain barrier. And as time goes on, aluminum can accumulate in your brain and cause serious neurological problems, no matter how old you are.

Brain Inflammation Can Affect Both Adults And Children

Although research has shown that aluminum can cause serious immunological disorder and neurological complications, it’s still the most commonly used vaccine adjuvant.

In the previously mentioned documentary, Dr. David Ayoub talks about how the aluminum contained in vaccines may even be more dangerous than mercury.

According to reports, the number of aluminum containing vaccines has more than quadrupled over the past 30 years.

For example, in the 70’s children received only four vaccines that contained aluminum during their first 18 months of life. Now it’s closer to 17.

As the exposure to aluminum increases so does the prevalence of childhood neurological disorders.

In fact, in one school alone it was reported that 90 percent of the children attending developed ADHD during the course of a single school year and this correlated with higher levels of aluminum in their toxicity profiles.

If you review the signs and symptoms of aluminum toxicity you’ll see that they are frightfully similar to the symptoms associated with autism, ADHD, brain fogging, Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders.

The aluminum in vaccines can also cause tremendous amounts of brain inflammation.

Aluminum targets a part of the brain called the cerebellum and the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls all of the “automatic” functions in your body. Things like breathing, blood pressure, balance and coordination.

In addition, aluminum has been associated with symptoms very similar to those seen in a variety of neurological disorder. Things like memory problems, speech impairments and difficulty speaking, forgetfulness, depression, muscle weakness, motor disturbances, and other neurological difficulties.³

New Blood Test May Predict Brain Fog

In the past there has never been a definitive way to accurately predict who is at risk for developing brain fog. But that may all be changing.

Researchers at Georgetown University and University of Rochester say that they have indeed found a blood test that can predict a person’s risk of developing brain fog with a 90 percent accuracy—what’s more they can do it without any false negatives. If in fact they have developed a test for brain fog it could be a total game changer.⁴

The test measures 10 specific lipids associated with the plaques found in the brains of those suffering from forgetfulness. These particular lipids are highly predictive of whether or not a person will eventually become cognitively impaired.

Every single person in the study was between 70 and 80 years of age and was shown to be highly accurate. Researchers are now trying to develop a test that can have the same accuracy, but for those in their 40’s and 50’s.

All of the people in the study were in their 70s, so the next step is to determine if the test is accurate as early as your 40s and 50s. Researchers say they are still several years away from implementing the test, but they all feel very hopeful.⁵

One of the challenges of measuring lipids is the fact that they change throughout the course of the illness.

In the early stages of brain fogging some lipids are more prominent than others and then decrease after symptoms appear.

And even with testing that can predict whether or not you’re in the early stages of brain fog, then what? Currently the medical community has nothing to offer these patients, which is why it’s so important to take steps to prevent it in the first place.

One of the best strategies is to detoxify yourself from heavy metals like aluminum.

High Levels Of Aluminum Inhibit Your Ability To Detoxify

High levels of aluminum impair your body’s ability to make glutathione. Glutathione is your body’s most powerful detoxifier and it’s required for fighting and reversing oxidative stress.

These high levels of aluminum put you at risk for becoming more toxic from other heavy metals like mercury, found in things like fish and flu shots.

One way to help boost your glutathione levels is to get more sulfur in your diet. Onions and garlic are great sources when they’re grown in sulfur rich soils, however most soils have been depleted.

That’s why animal-based protein sources may be your best shot. Whey protein concentrate is high in cysteine, one of the two sulfur bearing amino acids that are the direct precursors to glutathione.

A word of warning, if you don’t consume animal proteins you are very likely to become sulfur deficient. This is often one of the biggest risk factors associated with choosing an animal free diet.

Grass-fed and grass finished meats are always preferred, due to the fact that most factory farmed animals come full of drugs, antibiotics and hormones.

Detoxifying Aluminum

There are several potent chelators that can help you detoxify from aluminum. Ideally, you’ll want to first reduce your overall exposure which means you should immediately stay clear of things like:

• Toothpaste containing aluminium oxyhydroxide⁶
• Antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate, or aluminum-zirconium compounds
• Aluminum laced drinking pouches
• Aluminum cookware
• Aluminum espresso makers

For those at serious risk for brain fog, you can use the following chelating agents:

Water rich in silica,

for example Fiji water, which has 83 Mg of silica per liter.7 A study published in 2013 showed that by simply drinking up to one liter of a silica rich mineral water every day for 12 weeks was effective in excreting aluminum in the urine.8 According to the authors: “We have provided preliminary evidence that over 12 weeks of silicon-rich mineral water therapy the body burden of aluminum fell in individuals with brain fog and, concomitantly, cognitive performance showed clinically relevant improvements in at least 3 out of 15 individuals.”

Melatonin:

Several studies have shown that melatonin is an effective metal binding nutrient and supplementing with it can be useful in the treatment of neurological disorders that involve oxidative stress.^9,10,11 Melatonin travels freely across all cellular barriers including the blood-brain barrier. In addition, it’s also been shown to help reduce the oxidative stress associated with aluminum in the brain.

Anything that boosts glutathione levels:

Glutathione is made in your body through the synthesis of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. Raw fruits and vegetables, especially avocado, asparagus, grapefruit, strawberries, orange, tomato, cantaloupe, broccoli, okra, peach, zucchini, and spinach are loaded with glutamate and glycine. You can get cysteine from eggs, meat, red peppers, garlic, onions, Brussels sprouts, whey protein, and wheat germ.

You can also improve glutathione metabolism by:

• Exercising: Exercise directly affects your levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which helps to produce glutathione
• Increasing your levels of Vitamin D through exposure to the sun. Some studies suggest that higher levels of vitamin D increase intracellular glutathione levels
• Taking baths in epsom salt
• MSM supplementation

Taking N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC) may also help.

Curcumin:12

Several studies indicate that curcumin protects again aluminum-induced damage by protecting from oxidative stress. Curcumin has also been shown to decrease the formation of the beta-amyloid plaques associated with brain fogging, delay neuron degradation, chelate metals, decrease microglia formation, and provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Studies have shown that curcumin can help improve the memory of brain fog patients too. However, if you have biliary tract obstruction (as it stimulates bile secretion), gallstones, obstructive jaundice, or acute biliary colic it’s recommended that you don’t take curcumin.

To Summarize:

Despite the naysayers, it’s hard to dispute the fact the aluminum plays a significant role in neurodegenerative diseases like brain fog—the evidence is piling up and continues to grow.

People with aluminum toxicity exhibit the same signs and symptoms as those with forgetfulness, Parkinson’s, ADHD, autism, and other neurological diseases, the reason being, aluminum targets the same areas of the brain nervous system.

By far, the best way to protect yourself is to choose your food and personal care products carefully and minimize your exposure to vaccines and other drugs tainted with aluminum.

Optimizing your intake of sulfur is also a crucial step, because your body needs sulfur to manufacture its number one weapon against aluminum overload: glutathione.

By simply taking some precautions and protecting yourself with a few simple and easy to use strategies, you’ll minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of toxic metals.