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TIANJIN --November 24, 2003-- A health expert has warned that too much aluminum in the human body could lead to Alzheimer's disease -- and the problem could come from your own kitchen.

Excessive intake of aluminum -- which, unlike calcium, zinc, iron and some other micro elements is not an essential element in the human body -- could damage the neural system and consequently cause inertia, senility or dementia, said Prof. Lu Yan, a public health specialist with the Tianjin Medical Sciences University.

Lu and his colleagues have found the aluminum level in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is on average four times higher than normal.

"In the worst cases, it was 30 times higher," he said.

Too much aluminum in the human body could affect its absorption of calcium and therefore cause bone fractures in the elderly, and could also lead to brain, liver, kidney and heart diseases, Lu said.

Improper use of aluminum utensils -- cooking tomatoes in an aluminum pot, for example -- was to blame, he said, as aluminum was dissolved easily by acid and alkali alike.

"We have found that fried pork contains 120 to 250 milligrams of aluminum after being kept overnight in an aluminum vessel, while the maximum daily intake of the chemical is 110 milligrams," said Lu.

Aluminum is also found in soybeans and tea leaves, according to his research.

To avoid too much aluminum intake, the professor advises against cooking and storage of food -- particularly juices, fruits, wines and tomatoes -- in aluminum containers.

"When boiled in an aluminum pot, Chinese herbal medicine can even become toxic," he warned. "So cooking utensils made of stainless steel and iron will be safer."

Meanwhile, tea drinkers, the elderly in particular, should cut tea leaf consumption to five grams a day at the most, he said.

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