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High levels of aluminium in food are observed to cause Alzheimer's and other bone diseases, according to a report in The Conservation. The rate of growth of brain cells could also be reduced because of leaching of aluminium into food in excessive quantities.

Use of aluminium vessels and utensils in kitchen has become common these days and there is a drastic switch from copper to aluminium vessels in the present century. Foils made of aluminium is used extensively in cooking as well as in packing while tins and cans made of the metal are used for storing beverages.

Ghada Bassioni, a chemistry professor from Ain Shams Univeristy in Egypt noted the hazardous effects of consumption of high levels of aluminum in food. The metal that could be easily obtained and processed not only reaches the human in the form of cookware but is also seen in corn, cheese, salt, herbs, and spices.

Intake of 40 mg of aluminum per kilogram of man per day is declared as the permissible level by World Health Organization. But extensive usage of aluminum in cooking and baking out-beat the recommended level on a daily basis. The metal is also found in pharmacological products like antacids and also used for water purification, reported NZ Herald.

Meanwhile, Bassioni noted that high quantity of aluminum is found in the brain tissues of patients with Alzheimer's disease. While the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still a topic of investigation the effects of aluminium on brain cells cannot be ruled out.

"Scientists have examined the community of old people with Alzheimer's and concluded that it is a modern disease that's developed from altered living conditions associated with society's industrialization," said Bassioni, reported Daily Mail.

"Studies have suggested that high aluminium intake may be harmful to some patients with bone disease or renal impairment. It also reduces the growth rate of human brain cells," she added.

Aluminium cookware usually gets oxidized and form a layer on the top. This layer forms a protective covering by preventing aluminium from entering into the food. But in an effort to keep the vessels as clean as possible people scrub them to expose aluminium enough to leach into food. Thin matte layer on the vessel is preferable than shiny clean ones that cause damage to our body.

But when it comes to aluminium foils, it is better to avoid using them completely, particularly while baking. When used in baking the levels of leaching of the metal is very high than expected.