Quick Take
A social media post claims soy contains aluminum harmful enough to harm human brain. We fact-checked and found the claim is Half True. Soy does contain aluminum, however it is not clear whether regular consumption of soy will harm human body. While aluminium is considered a risk factor for dementia, extensive studies are going on to prove the same. No scientific evidence confirms that all Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients have high aluminium levels.
The Claim
A Twitter post claims soy products contain a high level of aluminum. The post further claims that soy products are washed from aluminum warehouses and are processed at high temperatures. In the following Twitter posts by the claimant further claims that aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Fact Check
Do soy products have aluminium?
It is possible. Soy products made from soy crops grown in acid soil can have aluminium. Soy products like soy-protein are often further engineered to produce high-quality protein through acid washing. But it does not mean that every soy crop will have aluminium.
Does aluminium in soy cause Alzheimer’s disease?
It’s doubtful. No scientific evidence confirms eating soy products having aluminium increases the risk for Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases. However, we found a few published studies that show aluminium through diet can accumulate in the brain. But human beings are exposed to aluminium through the environment, utensils, water and other sources. So, available studies do not confirm whether one of these factors or all of them increase the accumulation.
Does every Alzheimer’s and Dementia patient have high aluminum levels?
Not exactly. There is not enough evidence to suggest that increased aluminum will lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research is still ongoing.
The Alzheimer’s society informs that there is likely to be a relationship between naturally-occurring metals and the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease. But we do not know whether this relationship actually causes Alzheimer’s disease.
However, since aluminium is a recognized neurotoxin, there is a possibility that it could cause cognitive deficiency and dementia when it enters the brain and can even lead to certain adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS). But this has not been proven yet, and any such adversity can be caused only when consumed in a toxic amount.
In fact, a 1996 study even concluded that in Alzheimer’s Disease, aluminum concentration did not increase in the brain regions that are vulnerable to undergo changes associated with this disease.
We researched further to understand from where the claim originated from. It seems the speculations are from a study conducted in 1965 in which rabbits were injected with high doses of aluminum. The researchers found that the rabbits developed neurofibrillary tangles, increased amyloid levels and the development of plaques in the brain, similar to those found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. But, the doses given to the rabbits were extremely high, and these toxic levels far exceed the levels that can enter the body through food or potentially through contact with aluminum cookware.
To this, Neurologist Dr. Abhishek Juneja adds ‘Aluminium is a neurotoxic metal. It can cause direct nerve cell damage upon accumulation in the brain. However, its role as a causative factor in Alzheimer’s disease is still under research’.
Same has been confirmed by the International Journal of Alzheimer’s disease website. The website states that ‘there is growing evidence for a link between Aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease and between other metals and AD. But the issue is controversial because the mechanism through which Alzheimer’s disease occurs and spread within the body, is still not clear’.
A research paper published in 2016 states that the health risks due to the exposure to inorganic aluminium depend upon its physical and chemical forms. Also every human body responds in a different manner depending upon the route of administration, magnitude, duration and frequency of exposure.
THIP MEDIA has previously fact-checked and debunked the use of Aluminium cause Cancer and Alzheimer’s.
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