Aluminum and Acne: A Deadly Heavy Metal For Your Skin And Brain

When it comes to clear skin, many teenagers and indeed adults have a tremendous blind spot. It’s all well and good to gorge on acne nutrients, eat blueberries, get more exercise, and calm stress using ultra secret strategies.

But if you don’t remove the endless acne-causing chemicals lurking in drinking water, processed foods, and personal care products, your progress towards clear skin will always be severely limited. In fact, if you’re taking a secret supplement like grass-fed gelatin but are constantly touching paper receipts and absorbing inflammatory BPA, you’re not getting your money’s worth.

As of 2016, the US database of chemicals now contains 5 million names. Many are strongly suspected to cause cancer, diabetes, hormonal problems and acne, and another large chunk are downright near proven to.

With such a mind boggling array of additives, it’s impossible to study them all, but one fact is certain. A handful of toxins have been particularly investigated, and one of the deadliest for acne bar none is aluminium, a heavy metal found in the Earth’s crust and soil.

Unlike BPA, which infiltrated tap water way back in 1890, aluminium has only climbed to world domination over the last 50 years. The average 1960s human being only ingested minute quantities from foods, absorbed from the soil of fields into plants by their roots. Nowadays though, aluminium’s industrial uses have exploded, creating dangerous levels in tap water, foods, cookware, and even soy baby formulas.

Aluminium has no biological role in the human body, but like the pore-clogging heavy metal arsenic, you can find it in almost every living acne patient today.

 

Aluminum depletes antioxidants and gives birth to acne

One of the premier sources of aluminium exposure is the aluminium chloride, chlorohydrate, or zirconium added to antiperspirants.

The whole point is that aluminium gets absorbed into skin pores, where it then swells and blocks your sweat output. Recently though, the media has been flooded with dire scare stories suggesting that anti-perspirants are strongly linked to breast cancer.

Read Annihilate Your Acne – get the greatest diet ever for clear and radiant skin

This study, for example, noted disproportionately high levels of cancer mutations in the upper outer breast quadrant, AKA deodorant country. The scientists were worried enough to investigate aluminium further, and the statistics are equally telling: Britain has one of the highest breast cancer rates in the world, killing almost 13,000 British women yearly. Meanwhile, Britons are particularly fond of antiperspirant deodorants, devouring roughly £300 million worth each year.

Scientists have previously noticed sky-high concentrations of aluminium in cancerous breast tissue, and their worry keeps on rising as breast cancer among men has now doubled over the past 30 years to almost 300 cases yearly, in a tight correlation to chemical deodorant usage. The deodorant fears are so widespread that the UK’s cancer.gov page has an entire article about it.

How is this relevant for acne? Cancer is linked strongly to oxidative stress, AKA a massive depletion of antioxidants and surge in free radicals, meaning that aluminium may do the same. Indeed, a banquet of studies suggests that this metal decreases the pivotal acne antioxidant glutathione.

ONE: a Pakistani study which analysed the effect of aluminium on bloodstream glutathione. A “decrease was observed” with a “time dependent effect of aluminium on glutathione levels“.

TWO: this 2005 study tested aluminium on oxidative stress in the small intestine (which is important for nutrient absorption) of male rats. They observed a “significant reduction of glutathione content“, with lipid peroxides, the single worst type of free radical for acne, increasing by 52%. Glutathione synthase in the small intestine was slashed by 26%.

The method to aluminium’s madness is simple. The antioxidant glutathione has a dual function as a stage 2 detoxifying agent, whereby the glutathione transferase form attaches itself to heavy metals and reduces them to a less toxic, more easily metabolised form. To illustrate, Jamaican kids with glutathione gene mutations were shown specifically to have higher levels of aluminium (study).

Consequently, ingesting copious amounts of aluminium will slowly but surely, erase your precious glutathione, and your defences against acne…

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…and what makes aluminium doubly potent is preventing glutathione from being manufactured in the first place. Aluminium can inhibit a vital compound called NADPH which your body uses as a glutathione precursor (study). It therefore doubles your free radical overload by preventing the regeneration of glutathione after it’s already fallen.

 

Aluminium makes your acne red and angry

Glutathione, as I wrote about here, is the number one antioxidant which humans make themselves. Antioxidants are vital for preventing the sebum on your face from oxidising and going on a pore-blocking, acne-causing spree of mindless mayhem. One study even found 20% reductions in glutathione in acne-prone skin.

Mercury, arsenic, BPA, fluoride and pesticides are also confirmed to drain your glutathione reserves. That’s the main reason why I advise acne patients to avoid these environmental toxins like the plague…

…and what’s more, the loss of a major detoxification agent is bad news itself, for it leaves your skin at the mercy of chemicals. Every heavy metal seems to have a unique power: cadmium increases inflammation like a professional, arsenic triggers massive hyperkeratosis, and mercury is the king of insulin resistance.

As for aluminium’s power? Well, its origin from below the Earth’s crust is ironic, because aluminium also fuels the fires of chronic inflammation, the number one disease behind acne-prone skin.

This study found that aluminium activated inflammatory proteins in humans, and increased pro-inflammatory chemicals such as interleukin-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-a. This study found immediate inflammatory reactions upon contact with human cells, and this study noticed soaring intestinal inflammation and reduced intestinal healing in mice, which is dire news for gut health and the efficient absorption of acne-clearing nutrients.

Similarly to arsenic, aluminium may even bind to newly manufactured collagen proteins and twist their structure. Aluminium poisoning even has minor links to seborrheic keratosis, a skin condition characterised by non-cancerous skin warts and discolouring.

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Seborrheic keratosis is caused by an overgrowth of the skin protein keratin, and fascinatingly, so are clogged pores, as excessive keratin glues your dead skin cells together into giant clumps. In fact, during the Camelford aluminium disaster of 1988, one of the main symptoms observed was disfiguring blotches and rashes. More on that sorry tale in a second…

In summary, dining on aluminium and getting clear skin are two goals which can never be reconciled. 

 

Aluminum is strongly linked to brain defects!

Outside of acne, perhaps the most notorious symptom of aluminium is mental defects, and most notoriously Alzheimer’s disease. 

It’s now time to discuss the nightmarish Camelford disaster of 1988, when a UK lorry driver mistakenly dumped 20 tonnes of aluminium sulphate into Cornwall’s water supply. That very night, the residents complained of foul, metallic tasting water, but it wasn’t until three weeks later that local water authorities rose from their slumber. By then, it was too late. In the short term, residents complained of joint pain, stomach cramps, and (interestingly for acne patients) skin problems.

The long term results were the most grim. In 2004, a long-term Camelford resident called Carole Cross died of a rare and aggressive form of Alzheimer’s called congophilic amyloid angiopathy, which was near unheard of for a healthy woman aged 58 years old. Guess what – a medical report found dense accumulations of aluminium in her brain.

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Just 6 years earlier, a 1999 study concluded that many Camelford residents had experienced “considerable damage” to their mental and brain function. Amid accusations to the police of a hasty government cover up, there were loud demands for a public enquiry.

Whether aluminium caused Carole Cross’ Alzheimer’s directly will never be proven, but the evidence elsewhere is nearly overwhelming. 

Scientists have been startled to observe recently that even bees are getting Alzheimer’s disease. Bee colonies are already suffering due to pesticides such as glyphosate; UK honeybee numbers have plummeted by a third each year since 2006, due to the dreaded “colony collapse disease”. Hence, bees are closely watched, and in one study, so called “Alzheimer’s bees” who were strangely confused and sluggish had dramatically higher levels of aluminium in their brains.

The worst bees were contaminated with 13 to nearly 200ppm, with the toxic level in human brain tissue being 3ppm.

The stark fact is that given how insidious this heavy metal is today, aluminium is almost certainly a hidden factor in the modern Alzheimer’s disease epidemic, and all the beloved family members it causes to wither away. If your detoxification systems are malfunctioning, or there’s simply too much metal pouring in for them to handle, then the aluminium will be deposited in the body. The brain seems to get preferential treatment.

This 2010 study examined the aluminium accumulation caused by geography and the individual dietary habits of many French people. In the 15 year follow up period, higher aluminium intakes correlated closely to eventual Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

This 2000 review confirmed that aluminium accumulation triggered the formation of amyloid plaques, proteins deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Quote: “excess, insoluble amyloid beta protein (A beta) contributes to AD. Aluminium promotes formation and accumulation of insoluble A beta“.

 

Aluminium – a menace for your skin and brain!

There is hope, however, as fresher studies have shown that lowering alumium levels in the body can partially reverse the brain tissue damage (reversing acne will be easier).

Alzheimer’s is commonly thought to be forever, and yes, it’s mostly irreversible, but the story has twists and turns. One study feeding silica water to patients with dementia observed increased aluminium levels in the urine. The minerals were flushing the metal out of the body…

…and after 13 weeks, 3 out of 15 patients scored better on cognitive function tests. These included memory tests and the simple task of drawing a clock face.

Alumium doesn’t remain in the body forever, as another study documented a woman who had used an aluminium-containing antiperspirant for 4 years. Her blood levels of alumium were toxic, but the problem resolved itself a mere 8 months after abandoning the antiperspirant. Her symptoms of fatigue and severe bone agony also vanished.

Fuel your detoxification systems, dodgy the main sources, and you can slowly remove the acne-causing metal hiding in your brain and body. 

 

How to ruthlessly eliminate aluminum (and hence acne)

There’s no need to avoid every last molecule of aluminium to clear acne. It’s a natural element in the Earth’s soil and curst, and has always occurred in drinking water. The body doesn’t require it, but unlike mercury, low levels are harmless.

However, most Westerners today aren’t consuming low levels. Follow this handy guide, and you will officially advance to the low aluminium club:

Avoid all the major sources – firstly, it’s a smart idea to use a natural antiperspirant or deodorant. Only half of the pungent smell of sweat comes from sweat itself; the other half is your armpit bacteria consuming that sweat and churning out by-products.

A combination of baking soda and coconut oil is highly antibacterial and will keep these colonies under control. It smells decent too, and will stick to your armpits nicely. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then natural, acne-friendly options are all over the internet. Additionally, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will give you more pleasant-smelling sweat anyway by altering your pheromones.

Water – another big problem, because rainwater washes alumium particles out of airborne factory pollution and straight into the water supply. Hence, investigate your local water supply and buy mineral water if necessary, or a reverse osmosis filter. We’ve discussed elsewhere how healthy water is vital for avoiding acne from fluoride anyway. If your town is an industrial pollution-fest then your water is almost certainly higher in aluminium.

Cosmetics – an acne patient should always opt for natural personal care products. Aluminium can rear its ugly head anyway, whether as aluminium oxyhydroxide in toothpaste or other forms in sunscreen and makeup.

Cookware – avoiding alumium foil, pots, pans and trays is a must for acne-free skin. The quantity absorbed depends on the food, but acidic foods such as oranges and tomatoes and also leafy green vegetables tend to absorb gigantic quantities. One study concluded that “eating meals prepared in aluminium foil may carry a health risk by adding to other aluminium sources“, while a 2006 study concluded that cooking meat in aluminium foil increased levels massively. Red meat alumium rose by 89 to 378% and poultry from by 76 to 214%.

Eating foil-wrapped chicken won’t transform you into an aluminium-ridden acne zombie instantly, but daily consumption over many years certainly will. The solution is simple: say no to aluminium cookware.

Endless other products – nowadays, endless different foods are tested for their aluminium levels, as awareness of their horrific consequences steadily grows.

Some items which frequently contain aluminium include baking powder, cheap table salt, baby formula, coffee creamers, many baked goods, processed foods, magnesium stearate in vitamin supplements, food colourings, caking agents, and self-rising flour. Aside from other cooking equipment, cans and water bottles may also contain aluminium.

 

How to boost your acne defences

Now it’s time to go one better – here’s how to strengthen your body against aluminium: 

Avoid fluoride – sodium fluoride, an acne-causing nightmare itself, alters the molecular structure of aluminium and makes it more absorbable, according to this study. The main sources to avoid are toothpaste, mouthwash, and drinking water.

Take curcumin – an extraordinarily powerful curcuminoid antioxidant found in turmeric. Antioxidants already relieve glutathione, allowing it to focus on aluminium, but curcumin has a separate ability to chelate heavy metals. Either incorporate turmeric into homemade recipes or take a curcumin supplement, combined with piperine to enhance the absorption.

This curcumin brand is among the best, being totally free from harsh additives: aSquared Nutrition Pure Turmeric Curcumin.

Other specific antioxidants can bind to aluminum as well, including quercetin (study). Could more of the thousands of antioxidants found across nature do the same? The answer remains a mystery, but the side effects of fruit and vegetables are well known to include clear skin.

Increase your glutathione levels – aluminium may prevent glutathione from forming, but glutathione also binds to and detoxifies aluminium in the first place. This article contains the master blueprint, but to be brief, you should 1) acquire the three glutathione-boosting ultra nutrients, zinc, selenium and magnesium, 2) hunt down sulphur and the amino acids cysteine, glycine and l-glutamine, and 3) swallow some special supplements and glutathione-boosting foods such as grass fed gelatin.

Do some intermittent fasting – these days, endless different detox kits and juice cleansers promise to banish stored heavy metals from your body. In reality, you possess all the tools you need already. Simply disconnect the flow of fresh toxins and provide the key detoxification nutrients, and then smile as the toxins stored in your brain, muscles and fat cells slowly vaporise.

One extra strategy, however, is intermittent fasting, when you go for long portions of the day without eating. For example, you could eat two large meals eight hours apart, and starve for the remaining 16 hours of the day. When your body endures roughly twelve hours without calories, it enters a state of autophagy, a heightened state of mega detoxification. Most of us these days eat constantly, like grazing cows in a field rather than a lion, meaning that we never enter this autophagy, but it’s a great idea if you’re determined to supercharge your aluminium removal systems.

Drink some silica water – in the study above, mineral water loaded with silica reduced blood aluminium by a massive 50, 60 and 70%. Many mineral water brands are rich in silica, but the ultimate is Fiji water, sourced from the blackened volcanic slopes of the Pacific. Fiji bottles are also 100% free from BPA, a common cause of acne in plastic bottled water.

Other mineral water brands with plentiful silica include Spritzer and Volvic. Mineral water will provide acne minerals like magnesium, and it’s a smart way to dodge aluminium-filled tap water anyway.

Get more magnesium – when your body is deficient in vital minerals, it absorbs toxic heavy metals into the minerals’ receptors instead. Manganese is replaced with nickel, zinc is replaced with cadmium, and magnesium is replaced with aluminium. So get more magnesium and the villainous aluminium will remain in the bloodstream where detoxification is easy. The greatest natural supplement for acne is this Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate.

 

Conclusion – aluminum is likely contributing to your acne

Avoid aluminium and you’ll automatically avoid acne too.

To recap, aluminium is an antioxidant-reducing mastermind and has a secret double life as an instigator of inflammation. Meanwhile, if you’re worried about dementia or the slightest cognitive decline, then this is an acne strategy which you can’t skip.

What’s interesting is that very few acne patients take action against environmental contaminants fullstop. They mistaken believe that they’ve reached the limit of clear skin by eating fruits and vegetables and getting acne vitamins, but the epidemic of toxins today means that there’s far greater room for improvement than many teenagers realise.

The same applies to you, whether it’s for acne or muscle mass. Banish aluminium and other contaminants, and watch with astonishment as your skin breaks through the very limits of physics. 

NEXT: the ultimate diet for clearing acne permanently

 

 

Thanks for reading!