[TheForge] Iron in the Fire- OT now Alzheimers

[Rob Fertner]

Got this off the web:

The vast majority of mainstream scientists now believe that if aluminum
plays any role at all in Alzheimer's, that role is small. If aluminum
exposure had a major impact on risk, scientists would have gained a clearer
picture of its involvement over the decades that they have been studying the
issue, even though certain factors hamper research. One such issue lies in
the widespread occurrence of both aluminum and Alzheimer's, which
complicates the effort to characterize their relationship. Aluminum is
Earth's third most common element after oxygen and silicon, and Alzheimer's
occurs frequently in older adults. Another factor is the lack of an animal
model in which to study aluminum's effects. The best animal models of
Alzheimer's disease are mice that are genetically engineered to mimic human
Alzheimer pathology, but mice lack sensitivity to aluminum. Rabbits have the
necessary sensitivity, but there is no transgenic Alzheimer rabbit model. 

Although research into the Alzheimer's/aluminum connection continues, most
mainstream health professionals believe, based on current knowledge, that
exposure to aluminum is not a significant risk factor. Public health bodies
sharing this conviction include the World Health Organization (WHO), the
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), and Health Canada. Further, it is unlikely that people can
significantly reduce their exposure to aluminum through such measures as
avoiding aluminum-containing cookware, foil, beverage cans, medications, or
other products. Even if aluminum were clearly implicated in Alzheimer's,
these routes of exposure account for only a small percentage of the average
person's intake. Most experts encourage people to focus their wellness
efforts on measures with a proven impact on health or quality of
life-avoiding smoking, exercising regularly, eating moderately, maintaining
social connections, and remaining intellectually active. 

The following points summarize some of the conflicting findings about
aluminum and Alzheimer's disease: 

Aluminum is known to be toxic to the nervous system, but its effects differ
from those of Alzheimer's disease. 

Some studies show elevated aluminum levels in the Alzheimer brain, but
others do not. These studies include both "bulk" investigations measuring
amounts of aluminum by weight and advanced analysis using laser microprobes.


There is some evidence that in laboratory cultures of nerve cells, aluminum
promotes aggregation of the protein fragment beta-amyloid into the amyloid
plaques that are a hallmark Alzheimer abnormality. However, efforts to
correlate aluminum levels with plaque density in people with Alzheimer's
have been inconclusive. 

Research has failed to document a clear elevation of Alzheimer risk in
individuals with occupational exposure to aluminum. 

Studies finding the most consistent link have examined elevated levels of
aluminum in drinking water and increased incidence of Alzheimer's. However,
there is no evidence that Alzheimer's disease is more prevalent in cultures
that traditionally drink large amounts of tea, even though tea is one of the
few plants whose leaves accumulate large amounts of aluminum that may leach
into the brewed beverage.

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Smoky
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 5:50 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Iron in the Fire

With all the information about Alzheimer's (sp?) I wouldn't like to eat 
anything off aluminum.  My dad has that damned disease.

Rick Crawford at Smoky Forge
Home of Lem the Wonder Mule and
Mol ASS es the slow Donkey
in the middle of Northern Illinois


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Frost" <frosty at customcpu.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 2:53 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Iron in the Fire


>
> From: "Woolley" <wjec at verizon.net>
>
>
>> Terry,
>>
>> Mild steel plate won't eventually warp and crumble with everyday use? 
>> 3/8 is going to be too heavy. Maybe I'm being clue less here given the 
>> prevalence of  metal cookware made of AL, stainless etc., but I'm 
>> thinking of what happened to mild steel when I used it to repair 
>> andirons, it burned up. This is something that will be used alot in a 
>> commercial kitchen.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
>
>
> No, mild steel will work fine, it seasons like cast iron and unless you 
> leave it outside it'll last generations.
>
> If you want to make it lighter than say 1/4"(?) I don't know how thin is 
> too thin for a griddle, you'll want to put a rim around it to help prevent

> warpage. Putting most of the rim under the cooking face will help trap 
> heat from the burners and is probably a good idea no matter how thick you 
> make it.
>
> The best argument for using thicker steel, cast iron, aluminum, etc. is 
> it's cooking properties. The thicker the griddle the more even the heat 
> and the less it'll chill when cold food hits it. The griddle on my Viking 
> range top is around 1 1/8" cast aluminum and produces pro results.
>
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> http://www.artmetalradio.com/
>

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