We purchased a Commercial Hard-Anodized Cookware set a while back. I won’t name names (but it rhymes with Calphalon). The pots are made of aluminum and the surfaces that contact the food are “anodized”, that is, hardened and non-reactive.
PROBLEM: The Anodized coating wore through to the shiny bare aluminum underneath. Aside from no longer having the cooking/cleaning benefits of the Anodized coating, aluminum is reactive with acidic foods and researchers are unsure of the health risks. What’s up with that? We continued to cook in it for the better part of a year before we sent it back. Should I expect to lose my memory (not optimal), develop Tourette’s (could be fun around the office), or wet my pants a lot (I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve tried it)?
Forget aluminum. The new worry appears to be copper, especially residential/business copper water pipes that leach copper due to excess acidity in the water, often found in well water. In response, vitamin manufacturers are now offering copper-free supplements.
As an update to this alleged “master” and his statements, it’s the general consensus that aluminum is a minor or non-contributor to Alzheimer’s. Copper, on the other hand, has been demonstrated very clearly and succinctly to contribute to the formation of amyloid plaque (Alzheimer’s type) in brains in controlled animal studies. This was never demonstrated for aluminum. It’s not known if copper is “the real culprit”, but it’s been shown to be closer than aluminum has ever been shown. A mini-review of the latest work on copper (from real scientists, not some damnable science popularizers) can be found here: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/2135061100v1.pdf
As of this date, it’s about as current as a review can be.
Note that for the copper studies with positive results, they have always been copper plus additional dietary cholesterol. Thus, it may be possible to live with copper so long as one doesn’t eat lots of cholesterol.
Here’s another cite, from the BBC: Copper link to Alzheimer’s
Exposure to the metal copper may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, research has suggested. Scientists carried out a study on rabbits, which have been shown to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s similar to those found in humans when fed a diet high in cholesterol. They found cholesterol-fed rabbits were more likely to develop the plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains if they were given tap water to drink, rather than purified distilled water. The plaques are made up of protein which misshapes and clumps together. As they build in number, they appear to destroy the ability of brain cells to communicate effectively with each other. Further investigation revealed significant amounts of copper in the tap water which had been given to the rabbits. The scientists then added trace amounts of copper to distilled water before giving it to rabbits to drink. Plaque formation in the brain
They found that rabbits that received the copper supplement for 10 weeks developed significantly more plaques - and preliminary signs of plaques - than rabbits that drank only distilled water. The copper-dosed rabbits were also less able to learn a difficult mental task than rabbits not receiving the supplement. The researchers, from Sun Health Research Institute, Arizona, and West Virginia University, suggest that copper combined with cholesterol may prevent the brain from breaking down a crucial protein involved in the formation of plaques. Contradictory results Harriet Millward, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, told BBC News Online that previous studies had suggested a link between copper and Alzheimer’s - and others had not. "This is an interesting report, particularly since the results show an effect of copper on learning. "However, more research is needed before we can make any conclusions about the role of copper in Alzheimer’s disease. “For example, copper could contribute to the disease by catalysing the production of ‘free radicals’ which cause significant damage to an Alzheimer’s brain.” The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As if you don’t have enough worries, this from MSN Health:
Zinc
Zinc is the focus of another controversial theory about the possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Studies suggesting a link between zinc and improved mental alertness in the elderly led scientists to give Alzheimer’s disease patients zinc supplements in a 1991 study. However, after only two days the patients’ mental abilities deteriorated rapidly. A few years later, laboratory tests revealed that zinc could make proteins form clumps similar to the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease sufferers. This needs to be further investigated, as scientists are not sure yet whether the plaques actually cause the disease or whether they are a result of it.
The consensus is that much more research needs to be done.
Oh my freakin’ lord! I have got to stop putting pennies in my mouth. Back to the internet to look for foods high in copper and zinc, and do some calculations and evaluation. Is this the science bomb du jour? Let’s hope so.
Folks, it’s not copper alone that is implicated. The press, typical of their ilk, idiots all, are running with the “copper copper copper” call (notice how many times “copper” is mentioned in the BBC article compared to the number of times “cholesterol” is mentioned) and are ignoring that the studies showed it to be copper PLUS high cholesterol in the diet.
Aw Cripes! I haven’t exactly been on a low-fat diet all these years (bacon and Cheez Whiz on everything is okay, right?) and my house has copper plumbing.
I should just send for the clown shoes while I can still remember my address…
