The Human Metallome: Keys to Healthy Aging
Robert S. Gordon Jr. Lecture | to
Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, MPH
Leon Hess Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Ana Navas-Acien is a Leon Hess Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She is a physician-epidemiologist (MD, University of Granada, Spain '96) with a specialty in Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Hospital La Paz, Madrid '01) and a PhD in Epidemiology (Johns Hopkins University '05). Her research investigates the health effects of environmental exposures (metals, tobacco smoke, e-cigarettes, air pollution), molecular pathways and gene-environment interactions, and effective interventions for reducing involuntary exposures and their health effects. She serves as PI of environmental studies in multiple studies including the Strong Heart Study, a study of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in American Indian communities, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a study of cardiovascular, metabolic and lung disease in urban settings across the US; the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy 2 (TACT2), a clinical trial about the benefits of metal chelation; the VapeScan Study, a study of young adults from New York City; and India-FOCUS, a study evaluating risk factors for chronic kidney disease of unknown origin as part of the CURE consortium. Her goals are to contribute to the reduction of environmental health inequalities in underserved and disproportionately exposed populations.
Summary
Metals and metalloids are fundamental to human biology, shaping cellular function, metabolism, and resilience across the life course. At the same time, chronic exposure to toxic metals contributes to oxidative stress, inflammation, and accelerated aging, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cognitive decline, and other age-related conditions. This lecture introduces the concept of the human metallome—the integrated profile of essential and toxic metals in the body—and its emerging role as a determinant of healthy aging. Drawing on large population studies, including the Strong Heart Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), as well as evidence from the TACT2 randomized chelation trial, this talk will highlight how metal mixtures influence aging-related pathways and disease risk, and how these effects vary across populations and stages of life. Advances in metallomics now enable high-precision measurement of trace elements across biospecimens, allowing deeper insight into metal homeostasis, dysregulation, and intervention targets. By integrating observational and interventional evidence, this lecture will discuss how understanding the human metallome can inform prevention strategies, clinical decision-making, and environmental health policies aimed at promoting longer, healthier lives.
Learning Objectives:
- Define the human metallome and explain how both essential and toxic metals interact with biological systems to influence aging, cardiometabolic health, and chronic disease risk.
- Illustrate the role of metallomics in population and clinical research using examples from the Strong Heart Study, MESA, and the TACT2 randomized trial to highlight observational and interventional evidence.
- Discuss translational implications of metallome research for prevention strategies, clinical practice, and environmental health policy to promote healthy aging across populations.
This page was last updated on Monday, February 9, 2026