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Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food

What is the number one source of aluminum in the diet?

February 9, 2011 |
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Supplementary Info

Aluminum in Vaccines vs. Food, 4.7 out of 5 based on 6 ratings

Sources Cited

Verstraeten SV, Aimo L, Oteiza PI. Aluminium and lead: molecular mechanisms of brain toxicity. Arch Toxicol. 2008 Nov;82(11):789-802. Epub 2008 Jul 31. Review.

R. A. Yokel, C. L. Hicks, and R. L. Florence. Aluminum bioavailability from basic sodium aluminum phosphate, an approved food additive emulsifying agent, incorporated in cheese. Food Chem. Toxicol., 46(6):2261{2266, 2008.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

Speaking of toxic metallic elements, there continues to be growing concern about aluminum exposure and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. But how are we exposed?
This is how much you get cooking acidic foods like tomato sauce in an aluminum pot for an hour. Aluminum is also added to childhood vaccines as an immune irritant to improve efficacy, but it’s come under fire from some parenting groups. This is how much you get smoking a pack of cigarettes, and this is how much you get if you use aluminum-containing antiperspirants. But researchers just found a food item that blows these other sources away.

What do you think it is? Is it Brussell sprouts—many of you wish it were Brussel spouts. Cheese, chicken, eggs, fish, or shellfish.
The highest natural levels of aluminum are found in shellfish, but the highest levels overall is in cheese. Why? Just like the poultry industry adds arsenic to chicken, the dairy industry adds aluminum to cheese, the number one source of aluminum in the diet.
Why would they do that? The aluminum salts produce a “smooth, uniform film around each fat droplet” to prevent something called fat bleeding and to give the cheese a softer texture and “desirable slicing properties.”
So if you’re a parent worrying about the aluminum in vaccines, every grilled cheese sandwich you give your kids, is like injecting them with a dozen aluminum containing vaccines.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out theother videos on cheese. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on cheese. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/WendyWhite-2/ Wendy White

    Dr. Greger, can you point me to more information about the latest research on the link between Aluminum and neurodegenerative brain disorders? Is there new and or more research suggesting a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association seems to still be suggesting that it’s a myth. Perhaps it takes a long time or more compelling research to change their recommendations.
    http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_myths_about_alzheimers.asp

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      The latest review I’m aware of was published last year in the journal of Alzheimer’s: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378957. As you can see it remains an unanswered research question. As I noted to JJ below, though, until we know more, it is reasonable to try to decrease our exposure.

      • John

        what about the aluminum in tea? How much is in green tea? Thanks!!!

  • JJ

    This video ends with: “Every grilled cheese sandwich you give to your kids is like injecting them with a dozen vaccines.”

    Is this really true?

    I thought this information was so compelling that I went around telling it to everyone after I first watched it. I was met with a lot of skepticism.

    So, I tried to do my own research. What I came up with is that only “processed cheeses” have large amounts of aluminum added. According to Wikipedia, a processed cheese is a cheese product that is made *from* normal cheese.

    I’m sure some parents really do give their kids that processed stuff. However, plenty of parents also are likely to use normal/regular cheese. So, is the ending sentence missing a qualifier word? Ie, should it be: “Every grilled processed cheese sandwich you give to your kids is like injecting them with a dozen vaccines.”

    Or did I not do enough research? When I tell people this stuff, I want to be accurate. Thanks for any clarifications you can provide.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      The aluminum is indeed added in the processing, but that is what American cheese is, processed cheese (American cheese is the cellophane-wrapped slice that one typically makes grilled cheese sandwiches out of. In fact that’s why you make grilled cheese sandwiches with American cheese because it melts easy (thanks in part to the added aluminum)). I’m not saying that chronic aluminum ingestion is necessarily pathogenic. The risk of aluminum, as I noted in the video, remains an unanswered research question (see this review http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378957 last year for example). I do think it’s reasonable, however, until we know more, to try to decrease our exposure.

      • JJ

        I get that the “American Cheese” brand is “processed cheese”. And it may be true that lots of people use that brand to make grilled cheese sandwiches, but certainly not everyone. My family (not me any more) makes grilled cheese sandwiches only with regular cheese. My family eats lots of regular cheese, but doesn’t touch processed cheese. When I told my mom about how much aluminum she was getting, it was not true. Yes?

        You didn’t say “processed cheese” anywhere in the video. I just listened to it again for like the 7th time. The words in the video only say “cheese” time and again and the graph also only says “cheese” – meaning that all cheese is given aluminum salts. This is not true from what I am able to determine.

        I think it is an important distinction to make. I don’t want to run around telling everyone that cheese has all this aluminum when in fact only some “processed”/fake cheese have it and regular cheese does not.

        Your point about the pathogenic nature of aluminum being unknown is well-taken. As is the part about wanting to limit aluminum in our diet. I think most people would agree with that – which is why I wanted to tell people about this.

        As something of an aside: I recently got a recipe book called “Uncheese…” (The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic “Uncheese” Dishes) It has a recipe for “Geez Whiz” which is suppose to be something like processed Cheese Whiz. I haven’t eaten real Cheese Whiz in many years, so I can’t say for sure, however, I think the Geez Whiz is pretty authentic tasting and has an authentic texture – and it is pretty healthy too. I mention this just in case someone wonders if there is a way to get that processed-cheese experience without the aluminum.

        • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

          I’ll have to try that recipe! As noted in the video, if your cheese does not soft, easily melting, and with “desirable” slicing properties than it is unlikely that the dairy industry added aluminum salts to it. I guess the only way to be sure is to contact the company directly (since it is just used in processing they don’t have to list it in the ingredients),

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/becochic/ becochic

    You know, injecting something directly into the bloodstream is NOT the same as ingesting it. So… it isn’t a fair comparison.

    Either way, I wouldn’t want to eat that much, though.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      You’re absolutely right becochic, but in the calculation I took into account the relative bioavailability of the aluminum ingested orally.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/gregv/ GregV

    I use a Body Deodorant Stick called “Crystal” which says it has “No Aluminum Chlorohydrate” but it has Natural Mineral Salts, and Ammonium Alum.
    What are your thoughts on this form of aluminum?

    What do you use for deodorant?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/zgal/ zgal

    What about the use of aluminum foil in cooking, such as lining a baking pan with aluminum foil when roasting, or wrapping it around corn to cook on the grill; thoughts?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/SandyL/ Sandy L

    CHEMICALS ARE NOT SAFE IN INJECTIONS JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN FOOD
    Medical students learn that substances behave differently when they are injected or ingested – why do so many appear to forget this basic fact?

    EVEN WATER IS NOT SAFE WHEN IT IS INJECTED
    As with other substances, water behaves differently when injected, in fact it is dangerous.
    Injections containing only water should never be administered because they cause irreversible damage: hemolysis/bursting of blood cells.

    That is why if injection of water is required it must be mixed with another substance to regulate isotonicity so that blood cells will not be damaged. One example of a substance which is often used for this purpose is sodium chloride. An injection of 0.9 per cent sodium choride is ideal as it presents least damage to blood cells.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mandy0678/ mandy0678

    Thankyou Sandy for clarifying this, I was about to lose my mind b/c my daughter as a toddler ate a slice of cheese every day. She hasnt in a long time, but here i am thinking she is going to get some kind of cancer or alzheimers!

  • Bec

    I’m having trouble scrolling through the comment thread, I can only see the top one and cannot scroll through the rest, it just doesn’t move.

    • Azoraa

       I do not eat the “cheese food” slices at all as I consider it to be fake cheese.  But I do get other types of cheese with food such as the white cheese on a pizza or the feta in a greek salad for example.  Am I getting aluminum poisoned?  After watching the video I got the idea that I need to eliminate all types of cheese, but the comments suggest otherwise.

      • DrDons

         Non “processed” cheeses may be less likely to have aluminum which is a worry and should be minimized. There are however many other reasons to avoid cheese which is highly calorie dense, contributing to obesity, contains cholesterol & saturated fat, contributing to arterial disease, and contains chemicals such as dioxin see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dioxins-in-the-food-supply to the risk of cancer and hormonal considerations. In children dairy products have been associated with early onset of puberty (something I believe most parents would like to delay for reasons along with the health benefits of delayed puberty) see…http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/.

  • Elma

    Dr Greger,

    Do you know if veggie “cheese” such as Veggie Shreds/Slices has aluminum added so that it will melt easily?

    Thanks,

  • Laplueidanser

    I need some advice on what to do about my teeth…

    • Deepblueabyss

      Have them gold plated and have your initials tatood on your gums

  • Sryan

    I would like to know if you have an opinion on the dangers of using aluminum  cookware.   I have a lovely old-fashioned silver-plated aluminum teapot which my mother brought from England in the 50`s.  I love this little pot but barely use it because I’m worried about the connection to alzheimers.  I am vegan so don’t load my body down with animal product toxins so I’m hoping that perhaps my body can handle low levels of aluminum.  Is there a “safe” level to ingest on a daily basis.

  • JamesKB

     Hey Tina

    Despite what you’ll hear from fad diet book authors and internet bloggers, the world of science doesn’t drastically change it’s opinion on important matters very often at all. There’s always the odd scientist that likes to bend the truth of course or out right lie even.

    Sometimes things will be called harmless, later to be called harmful. Sometimes things will be called harmless and then later found to be healthful, but not many things make the leap from harmful to healthful.

    Often research is said to say something it doesn’t in the media. Like how tea and coffee were said to be dehydrating when really the studies were looking at strong caffeine tablets.

    Smoking will never be good for you. Neither will a steak unless you’re starving or not taking a B12 supplement. Fibre and antioxidants will never be harmful unless we conduct an experiment with unrealistic amounts of them perhaps. Maybe we’ll one day discover that fibre and antioxidants aren’t as healthful as we thought. Might turn out to be something else in the fibre, antioxidant rich foods that’s helping, but whatever it is, we still know looking for fibre, antioxidant rich foods is a good idea.

  • http://www.facebook.com/ali.canani Ali Canani

    Dr, I am a bit confused. The aluminium in vaccines enters the blood directly bypassing all the body’s defenses where as in the case of cookware, cheese, etc, it enters the body but through regular entry points. Surely the body can deal with aluminium differently if it enters through the mouth instead of in the vein directly. Kindly help. Thanks

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/ Michael Greger M.D.

      I did indeed take reduced oral bioavailability into account when I made the calculation–thanks for your question!

  • http://www.facebook.com/derek.hart.940 Derek Hart

    Dr. Greger, do you think that most organic cheeses do not have anywhere near the aluminum?

  • http://www.facebook.com/dan.lundeen Dan Lundeen

    My friends over in the paleobubble of course say that seeds are trying to kill us all — and soy is especially bad because it has aluminum, aluminum I say! Will I get Alzheimers if I eat organic edamame or drink organic soy milk? [No more than 2-5 servings/day per your excellent video re how much soy is too much, which also does not mention the Al-soy angle.]

    • http://www.DonForresterMD.com/ Don Forrester MD

      Aluminum has been implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease but so have copper, iron, zinc and mercury. Saturated fat and cholesterol are also associated with increased incidence of dementia(multi-stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease). On the positive side to avoid these conditions getting regular physical exercise, adequate sleep, mental exercises and plant based sources of certain vitamins… E, Folate, B6 and B12. You need to avoid taking supplements as the fat soluble vitamins A and E have been associated with increase morbidity and mortality…. see video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidant-vitamin-supplements/ and more recently see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-vitamin-e/ . By avoiding supplements you will also most likely avoid iron, zinc and copper as many multivits have those as well. You should also view the videos on Alzheimer’s Disease on Nutritionfacts.org see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-theory-of-alzheimers/. Pulling all this together is the upcoming book, Power Foods for the Brain by Neal Barnard which will be available on Amazon next month. Bottom line I would worry about the minerals in nuts and seeds when taken in moderate amounts such as 1-2 oz per day.

      • elsie blanche

        You mention that you would worry about the minerals in nuts and seeds when taken in moderate amounts (1-2 oz. per day). It seems to me that moderate servings of some beans match similar amounts of minerals as do these nuts and seeds. Would you suggest worrying about the minerals in these beans?

        • Lyra

          I imagine that Dr. Forreser meant to say that he *wouldn’t* worry about nuts and seeds in moderate amounts. Am I wrong?

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