ALUMINUM

Aluminum: Even without considering pharmaceutical sources, the typical daily dietary intake of aluminum varies widely, from 3 to 100 mg. Significant sources of aluminum include baked goods prepared with chemical leavening agents (i.e., baking powder), processed cheese, grains, vegetables, herbs and tea. Aluminum toxicity apparently is not a concern for healthy individuals. Cooking foods in aluminum cookware does not lead to detrimental intakes of aluminum. Ingestion of high dietary aluminum most likely does not cause Alzheimer’s disease, but may exacerbate this disease. Moreover, high intakes of aluminum through such sources as buffered analgesics and antacids by susceptible individuals (i.e., those with impaired kidney function including the elderly and low-birth-weight infants) may lead to pathological changes.