Aluminum...Really?

So, a guy at church asked me as I downed my fifth Diet Pepsi of the day if I'd read about the studies connecting drinking soda from aluminum cans and Alzheimer's Disease. I hadn't, and I kind of dismissed it (after all, there's lots of "internet science" out there, so...). Today I was thinking about my consumption (or lack thereof) of soda from aluminum cans the past couple days...and I got to thinking about the possibilities... What if this feeling of finding thoughts difficult to reach was somehow related to the fact that I drink way too much Diet Pepsi?

Okay - it might be nothing...but, well, it might not be...um...nothing...

There was a note here about symptoms of aluminum toxicity and I've got 'em.

Here's the relevant quote:

A 2005 research study from Poland examined behaviors in 67 males who had worked in an aluminum production facility for as few as two and as many as 34 years. These workers exhibited headaches, irritability, difficulity in concentrating, insomnia, and mood swings. Tests revealed abnormalities in their brain functions.

So...yeah, that's me (no, I'm not Polish - but my good friend Stan is :) ) - I've got 'em all. Now, I realize that every time I read a list of symptoms I realize that I have all of them so I must be suffering from the particular malady...but just maybe.

So,what do I do? We've got all kind of Diet Pepsi sitting at the house... If I eschew drinking it, we'll have to give it/throw it away... And, dang it, I'm addicted...so that won't be easy... If I just try laying off for a while, maybe...

But...could I really drink enough soda for that to happen? Wouldn't I have to get aluminum in a bunch of other ways too? And...how do I stop that?

Well, time for a test, I guess. Maybe I start Monday (Elie's birthday party this weekend, so I promise you I WILL be drinking Diet Pepsi this weekend...) with no Diet Pepsi from cans (or no DP at all...we'll see). See if I'm thinking more clearly - less irritable (my family will hope so) and all that...we'll see...