Aluminum cookware increases the risk of ‘this disease’? (Research)

Aluminum cookware use has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]

Cooking food in aluminum containers may increase Alzheimer’s risk, study finds

Researchers from the Department of Food and Nutrition, MS University, Vadodara, India, conducted the study on 90 adults over the age of 60, 30 each with mild, moderate, and severe Alzheimer’s disease.

As a result of investigating the effect of using aluminum containers in various cooking processes and the correlation with Alzheimer’s disease, those who frequently use aluminum containers for various cooking processes such as frying and baking compared to those who use aluminum foil for food packaging or baking showed a higher severity of Alzheimer’s disease.

If you fry in an aluminum container or stir continuously while cooking, the aluminum in the container starts to melt at a high temperature, and fine aluminum particles are mixed into the food and eaten. This study only suggested a correlation, but did not show an exact causal relationship.

Is aluminum in cooking utensils dangerous?

According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, between 0.01% and 5% of ingested aluminum is absorbed by the body. Therefore, even if you ingest aluminum, most of it does not enter the bloodstream.

A 2017 review published in the Journal of the German Medical Association (Deutsches Ärzteblatt International) found that people with twice the biologically acceptable aluminum levels in their blood performed poorly on attention, learning and memory tests. However, these figures were only seen in workers in the aluminum industry, and there was no clear association with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the Times of India, which reported on a study on the relationship between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease, it is better to use stainless steel or oven-ready glass cookware or uncoated cookware instead of aluminum cookware.

Reporter Jeong Hee-eun [e-mail]

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