Aluminum, Alzheimer's Disease, and Breast Cancer

Q:  In your response to a question posed by a person with an excessive sweating problem, you mentioned the use of aluminum chloride hexahydrate (Drysol). I have used Drysol myself, but worry about the effects of aluminum in the body. I've heard that it can cause cancer and Alzheimer's disease. What do you think?

A:  The link between aluminum (in cooking pots, antiperspirants, baking powder, etc) and Alzheimer's disease has never been proven. There is even less evidence of any relationship to cancer. The American Cancer Society issued a statement that there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that antiperspirants increase a person's risk of breast cancer, and that the organization was not aware of any evidence that aluminum or any of the other chemicals in antiperspirants are mutagenic (cause DNA damage that can lead to cancer).

"Dear Doctor" is a compilation of patient questions answered by doctors from the Medical College of Wisconsin.