Silicon-rich mineral water as a non-invasive test of the 'aluminum hypothesis' in Alzheimer's disease.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized controlled trial with a carer/partner comparison group
PubMed 22976072 · doi:10.3233/JAD-2012-121231
What was done
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (n = 15) and a control group comprising their carers and partners drank up to 1 L per day of silicon-rich mineral water for 12 weeks. The study evaluated the removal of aluminum, iron, and copper via urine, changes in aluminum body burden, and cognitive performance in the Alzheimer's cohort.
What was found
Silicon-rich water increased urinary excretion of aluminum in both the patient and control groups over 12 weeks without affecting the excretion of iron or copper. Total body burden of aluminum fell in Alzheimer's patients, and 3 out of 15 patients showed clinically relevant cognitive improvements. The abstract reported no numerical excretion rates, baseline values, or specific cognitive score metrics.
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary evidence that silicon-rich mineral water can facilitate aluminum excretion in humans, offering a non-invasive tool to investigate the aluminum hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease.
Limits
The Alzheimer's group was very small (n = 15) and the number of control participants was not specified. The study was non-randomized, open-label, and lacked a blinded placebo comparator. Cognitive improvement occurred in only a minority of subjects (3 of 15), and the abstract provides no exact quantitative metrics or statistical significance tests.
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