Aluminium and silica in drinking water and risk of Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline: results from a 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort

Aluminium and silica in drinking water and risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline: results from a 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort

The authors studied elderly subjects over a 15-year period (1988-2003) and examined the association between exposure to aluminum or silica in drinking water and the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. They are actively looking for cases of dementia among people aged 65 or over in 91 civilian drinking water areas in southern France.

Two indicators of aluminum exposure were assessed: geographic exposure and personal exposure, considering daily consumption of both tap and bottled water. A total of 1,925 subjects without dementia at baseline and with reliable water assessment data were analyzed. Using a random-effects model, the authors found that participants with higher daily intake of aluminum in drinking water (≥0.1 mg/day, P = 0.005) or higher geographic exposure to aluminum had greater cognitive decline over time.

Using the Cox model, high daily aluminum intake was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. Conversely, a 10 mg/day increase in silicon dioxide intake was associated with a reduced risk of dementia (adjusted relative risk = 0.89, P = 0.036). However, geographic exposure to aluminium or silica in tap water was not associated with dementia. High levels of aluminum in drinking water may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

Source of the above article: American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 169, Issue 4, February 15, 2009, Pages 489-496, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwn348