aluminum and silica in drinking water on the risk of dementia and AD
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2026 9:32 pm
aluminum and silica in drinking water on the risk of dementia and AD
To investigate the effect of aluminum and silica in drinking water on the risk of dementia and AD the authors analyzed data from a large prospective cohort (Paquid) including 3,777 subjects aged 65 years and over, living at home in 75 civil parishes in Gironde and Dordogne in southwestern France. The subjects were followed up for eight years with an active search for incident cases of dementia or AD. Mean exposure to aluminum and silica in drinking water was estimated in each area. We analyzed 2,698 non-demented subjects at baseline, and for whom components of drinking water and covariates were available. 253 incident cases of dementia including 182 AD were identified. The relative risk of dementia adjusted for age, gender, educational level, place of residence and wine consumption was 2.03 (95 percent CI 1.23–3.34) for subjects exposed to aluminum concentration greater than 0.1 mg/l. This result was confirmed for AD (adjusted relative risk=2.20, 95 percent CI 1.24–3.89). Inversely, the adjusted relative risk of dementia for subjects exposed to silica (≥ 11.25 mg/l) was 0.75 (95 percent CI 0.58–0.96). These findings support the hypothesis that aluminum in drinking water is a risk factor for AD.
To investigate the effect of aluminum and silica in drinking water on the risk of dementia and AD the authors analyzed data from a large prospective cohort (Paquid) including 3,777 subjects aged 65 years and over, living at home in 75 civil parishes in Gironde and Dordogne in southwestern France. The subjects were followed up for eight years with an active search for incident cases of dementia or AD. Mean exposure to aluminum and silica in drinking water was estimated in each area. We analyzed 2,698 non-demented subjects at baseline, and for whom components of drinking water and covariates were available. 253 incident cases of dementia including 182 AD were identified. The relative risk of dementia adjusted for age, gender, educational level, place of residence and wine consumption was 2.03 (95 percent CI 1.23–3.34) for subjects exposed to aluminum concentration greater than 0.1 mg/l. This result was confirmed for AD (adjusted relative risk=2.20, 95 percent CI 1.24–3.89). Inversely, the adjusted relative risk of dementia for subjects exposed to silica (≥ 11.25 mg/l) was 0.75 (95 percent CI 0.58–0.96). These findings support the hypothesis that aluminum in drinking water is a risk factor for AD.