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 micromol/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.