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SILICA'S MAIN LIFE-PROMOTING ROLE - PROTECTION FROM ALUMINUM TOXICITY
(PRECAUTION OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE)
by Dennis N. Crouse, PhD
Thursday, 24 August 2017 13:06
Silicon’s main life-promoting role is to protect us from aluminum, the third most common element in the earth’s crust. Aluminum ions (i.e. Al3+) in water are toxic to algae, fish, and human cells, especially neurons.
As a neurotoxin, aluminum is no joke. A small amount, resulting in only 63 mcg/L in a person’s cerebrospinal fluid, will cause unconsciousness. Like many toxic metals, aluminum accumulates over the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that even after 50 years, 4% of any aluminum ingested today will still be present in the body.
On average, a lifetime of aluminum exposure will result in the accumulation of 1 mcg per gram dry weight of brain tissue. That’s approximately 300 mcg of aluminum in an average 70-year-old human brain. Levels at two times that average can cause memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease (Exley, C and Vickers, T; J. Med. Case Rep.; (2014) 8:41). Diatomaceous earth acts as a mild abrasive both topically and internally. Inside your body, it helps remove intestinal.
All seven of the largest epidemiological studies comparing aluminum in drinking water with the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease found a significant dose-dependent correlation. In addition, brain autopsies of Alzheimer’s patients show elevated aluminum levels in brain regions suffering the most neuronal loss.
It’s well known that aluminum is rough on the brain. It’s no friend to the cardiovascular system, either. Aluminum exposure increases homocysteine in the blood causing plaque to build up in the endothelium, resulting in atherosclerosis.
Fortunately, silica—a dissolved oxide of silicon- can provide a safe, readily available, and inexpensive means of protection from aluminum toxicity. Silica can assume a variety of chemical compositions, an example of which is water-soluble orthosilicic acid (OSA)
A. Cardiovascular Effects
People are constantly exposed to aluminum from a variety of sources. It is found naturally in soil, and very minute quantities can be found in water, air, and many common foods. At naturally occurring levels, it won’t cause problems.
But in industrialized nations, we are exposed to aluminum in much larger quantities from cosmetics, personal care products, OTC medications (antacids, buffered aspirin), baked goods (baking powder), processed foods, and food preparation tools.
Occupational exposure is a major problem in some areas. People directly involved in the production of aluminum have blood levels that are 10-fold higher than non-exposed workers (24 mcg/L versus 2.6 mcg/L). This was associated with an increased frequency of high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and ischemic heart disease (Gaballa, IF, et al.; Egyptian J. Occup. Med. (2013) 37(1):33-46).
These cardiovascular changes are likely related to aluminum’s impact on homocysteine. By inhibiting the methylation of homocysteine to methionine, aluminum ions cause blood homocysteine levels to rise. Acute homocysteine elevations will increase blood pressure. When this becomes chronic, the net effect is endothelial damage and atherosclerosis.
OSA keeps homocysteine at low levels by facilitating aluminum elimination. Daily OSA supplementation lowers blood pressure and prevents atherosclerosis.
B. OSA: An Overlooked Deficiency
The primary sources of OSA in our diets are the skins and husks of seeds, such as green beans, as well as products made with unprocessed plants, such as beer.
But most people will be deficient in OSA, because many common seed and grain-based foods we eat (oats, wheat, etc) have had the OSA-containing skins and husks removed during processing.
Few medical professionals recognize OSA deficits as a true nutrient deficiency, but the truth is, it can cause problems for many people—especially elders, pregnant women, and their young children.
As we age, the OSA level in our blood steadily declines. During pregnancy, it often drops to near zero, as maternal OSA is preferentially transported to the fetus to protect it from the neurotoxicity of aluminum (Van Dyke, K; Biol. Trace Element Res.; (2000) 77:25-32). Once a baby is born, this preferential shunting continues via breast milk, to keep protecting the baby’s brain.
As detailed in the recent book, Prevent Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Stroke, there is ample evidence to suggest that OSA deficiency combined with high aluminum levels in either the mother or infant will increase the risk of autism in the child.
C.Some Major Research activities of Silica
Thirty years ago, researchers discovered that elderly rats fed OSA in their diet did not accumulate aluminum in their brains (Carlisle, EM, and Curran, MJ; Alzheimer Dis. Assoc. Disord. (1987) 1(2):83-9).
The same holds true for humans: people who drank 960 mcg of OSA (10ppm) in 100 cc of orange juice taken orally along with a test dose of 30 mcg of aluminum had 85% lower blood aluminum levels compared with control subjects who ingested aluminum alone without OSA (Edwardson, JA, et al.; Lancet (1993) 342(8865):211-12).
OSA, which is readily absorbed by humans, facilitates the elimination of aluminum in urine and perspiration(Bellia, JP, et al.; Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. (1996) Orthosilicic 26(3):227-33. Exley, C; Alzheimer’s and Dementia Summit; 27.18 to 29.12 min. Hosted by J. Landsman (2016)).
Two large epidemiologic studies found less risk of Alzheimer’s disease when OSA levels in drinking water were greater than 10 ppm, even despite elevated aluminum levels (Gillette-Guyonnet, S, et al.; Am. J. Clin.Nutr.; (2005) 81:897-902 and Rondeau, V, et al.; Am. J. Epidemiol.; (2009) 169(4):489-96).
Daily OSA supplementation at a dose equivalent to 100 ppm, taken by Alzheimer’s patients, has been shown in some cases to improve cognition (Davenward, S et al.; J. Alzheimer’s Dis.; (2013) 33(2):423-30).