Summary
This meta-analysis examined whether chronic aluminum (Al) exposure increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). After screening major scientific databases, the authors identified eight high-quality cohort and case-control studies involving a total of 10,567 participants. Using standardized criteria (Newcastle–Ottawa Scale) to assess study quality and statistical tests showing no significant heterogeneity, the researchers applied a fixed-effect model to compute the pooled risk estimate. They found that individuals with long-term aluminum exposure were 71% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (OR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.35–2.18). There was no evidence of publication bias, strengthening confidence in the result. Overall, the findings provide consistent epidemiological support that chronic aluminum exposure is associated with a significantly increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
PMID: 26592479
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.11.014
Abstract
A meta-analysis was performed to investigate whether chronic exposure to aluminum (Al) is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Eight cohort and case-control studies (with a total of 10567 individuals) that met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis were selected after a thorough literature review of PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Elsevier ScienceDirect and Springer databases up to June, 2015. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies. Q test and I2 statistic were used to examine heterogeneity between selected studies. The overall odds ratio (OR) was calculated using a fixed-effect model because no significant heterogeneity between studies was found. No publication bias was observed based on a funnel plot and Egger’s test. Results showed that individuals chronically exposed to Al were 71% more likely to develop AD (OR: 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.35–2.18). The finding suggests that chronic Al exposure is associated with increased risk of AD.
Wang Z, Wei X, Yang J, Suo J, Chen J, Liu X, Zhao X. Chronic exposure to aluminum and risk of Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Lett. 2016 Jan 1;610:200-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.11.014. Epub 2015 Nov 27. PMID: 26592479.