title: Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort.
abstract: The authors examined associations between exposure to aluminum or silica from drinking water and risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease among elderly subjects followed for 15 years (1988-2003). They actively searched for incident cases of dementia among persons aged 65 years or over living in 91 civil drinking-water areas in southern France. Two measures of exposure to aluminum were assessed: geographic exposure and individual exposure, taking into account daily consumption of tap water and bottled water. A total of 1,925 subjects who were free of dementia at baseline and had reliable water assessment data were analyzed. Using random-effects models, the authors found that cognitive decline with time was greater in subjects with a higher daily intake of aluminum from drinking water (>or=0.1 mg/day, P=0.005) or higher geographic exposure to aluminum. Using a Cox model, a high daily intake of aluminum was significantly associated with increased risk of dementia. Conversely, an increase of 10 mg/day in silica intake was associated with a reduced risk of dementia (adjusted relative risk =0.89, P=0.036). However, geographic exposure to aluminum or silica from tap water was not associated with dementia. High consumption of aluminum from drinking water may be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, Unité 897, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Bordeaux F-33076, France. virginie.rondeau@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rondeau
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jacqmin-Gadda
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Commenges
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helmer
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dartigues
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000535:Aluminum / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004326:Drinking; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012424:Rural Population; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D000535:Aluminum