Aluminum induces neurotoxicity by altering mitochondria of brain cells

Thursday, January 30, 2014 by: Thomas Henry
Tags: aluminum, neurotoxicity, neuron mitochondria

(NaturalNews) Aluminum's role in causing neurotoxicity and contributing to a number of degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, has been widely discussed and is supported by a number of studies, though the exact mechanism remains inconclusive.

Now, scientists have reached a better understanding of its role in killing brain cells by studying the effects of aluminum on mitochondria inside neurons, which are responsible for several critical maintenance roles, including the production of ATP by metabolizing oxygen, as well as regulating the inner cell membrane during neurotransmission.

The life and death of the neuron is largely in the hands of mitochondria, and mitochondrial dysfunction is now thought to be hugely responsible for dead brain cells and neurotoxicity - through both necrosis and apoptosis. Dysfunction in neuronal mitochondria compromises cell integrity - in part through the creation of free radicals - and contributes directly to aging and the rise of degenerative diseases and metabolic issues.

Chinese researchers affiliated with the Institute of Occupational Medicine at Tongji Medical College investigated how aluminum induces alterations in the mitochondrial structure, disrupting its important functions and leading to neurotoxicity.

Their study examined the neural cells of rats that were exposed to aluminum, probing the ultrastructure of the mitochondria under an electron microscope. Their results suggested that aluminum may impair the mitochondria's membranes and cristae (folds in the inner membrane) - both vital to aerobic cellular respiration, where mitochondria use oxygen to generate the vast quantities of ATP needed for neuronal function and neurotransmission. It also suppresses enzyme activity in mitochondria.

A 2008 study was conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India to research the effects of chronic lower-dose exposure to aluminum administered intragastrically - in the rats' stomachs - over the course of 12 weeks. DNA damage via oxidation was observed, as well as disruptions to the cell cycle of neurons, inviting cell death due to improper mitochondria action.

Aluminum in Hygiene Products, Food and Vaccines Causes Neurological Damage

All this has huge repercussions for exposure to aluminum in humans, as both its deliberate use and presence as a contaminant is pervasive and widespread in modern society.

Most deodorants and antiperspirants contain aluminum zirconium or other forms of the metal and have been found to induce DNA damage when tested on canine kidney cells. Top brands were all found to be culprits for neurological impairment.

Average Westerners consume approximately 10-100 mg of aluminum per day through food, where it shows up as a major contaminant in trace amounts. This route of exposure is thought to account for the greatest volume of aluminum on body burden, where it can accumulate in the brain and other tissues.

Aluminum is not only found in foods and hygiene products like deodorant, but also present in the majority of vaccines, along with many other questionable ingredients.

Scientific studies have warned about the safety of aluminum as an adjuvant, though this is not widely established in the accepted literature. Nevertheless, research has found that aluminum in vaccines is causally linked to long-term brain inflammation, autoimmune disorders, dementia, convulsions and comas. Moreover, aluminum's pattern of damage is consistent with the mechanisms seen in autism, suggesting strong links between the two.

Aluminum as a vaccine adjuvant is often accompanied by other excitotoxic adjuvants, such as MSG, which can overstimulate neuron receptors and trigger cell death. The introduction of excitatory chemicals like MSG in conjunction with significant levels of aluminum - in turn attacking mitochondrial function - may well be killing off brain cells and accelerating degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's even more quickly.

Aluminum in intravenous feeding solutions has also been shown in studies to be neurotoxic and has produced demonstrable adverse effects on mental development in premature infants.

Ultimately, aluminum is one of the most common elemental metals on the planet, and total avoidance is impossible. However, limited exposure to numerous dietary sources, hygienic products and vaccines is obviously recommended where possible.

Sources for this article include:

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://ajpcell.physiology.org

http://www.sciencedirect.com

http://www.meerwetenoverfreek.nl

http://www.sciencedirect.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://www.nejm.org