Does aluminium cookware cause Alzheimer's and kidney disease? Doctor explains

Health experts often highlight changing lifestyles and food habits as the leading causes of diseases like cancer. However, people wonder whether the utensils used for cooking also play a prominent role in maintaining health and well-being. Some people have been strong advocates of earthen cookware, while others are scared of using aluminium vessels. Dr Jojo V Joseph, a senior consultant of surgical oncology, explains to us whether cooking in aluminium cookware is harmful to health.

The doctor says he prefers aluminium cookware over earthen vessels, as one can't be sure which type of mud is used for making the latter. The presence of toxins and other materials can be suspected in the earthen vessels, according to him. Aluminium is the most abundantly available metal on earth and is present in most regions around the globe. 

Fact or fiction?
Dr Jojo dismisses claims that cooking in aluminium vessels causes Alzheimer’s and kidney diseases as mere myths. The presence of aluminium is higher in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. But it doesn’t happen because of aluminium cookware; instead, aluminium gets deposited in the brain because of the disease. The doctor says that the public blames aluminium cookware for this without understanding the scientific explanation for it. 

Stressing that Alzheimer’s is not caused by aluminium, he dismisses claims that aluminium cookware causes kidney disease, as aluminium is released through the kidneys. Kidney illness may get severe in patients with chronic renal failure if aluminium is deposited. But, aluminium cookware has nothing to do with it. 

Why is aluminium safe?
Studies recommend up to 17 mg as the tolerable intake of aluminium for the body in a day. For example, if you cook rice in an aluminium vessel, then only 0.5 mg of aluminium reaches the body. This doesn’t cause any serious health issues in human beings. However, cooking tomato, orange, or any other acidic food items in an aluminium vessel may cause aluminium to leach into the food, making its way into the body. Even then, it isn’t more than 17 mg. So, it is indeed safe to cook in aluminium cookware. 

What to be avoided
Sour or acidic food items should not be cooked in aluminium cookware, even if you are not worried about metal leaching. These food items should not be wrapped in aluminium foil either. Meanwhile, aluminium cookware and vessels in the modern age are anodised to prevent metal leaching. So, if you are worried, try buying anodised aluminium cookware to be safe. Old aluminium cookware, or the ones that are shrunk or crinkled, should not be used.