Exposure to toxic metals might accelerate aging.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Environmental Health
• Toxicology

Background:

• Biological aging (BA) trajectory reflects the dynamic aging process.
• Toxic metals are linked to various health issues, but their impact on BA trajectory is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct biological aging trajectories in older adults.
• To investigate the association between toxic metal exposure and these aging trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 2688 older adults (≥65 years) with 9 clinical/anthropometric measures over four time points.
• Employed group-based trajectory modeling to define aging patterns.
• Analyzed toxic metal effects using multivariable multinomial logistic regression and quantile g-computing.

Main Results:

• Identified three BA trajectories: slow, normal, and accelerated aging.
• Toxic metal mixtures were associated with higher risks of normal (OR=1.14) and accelerated (OR=1.53) aging.
• Lead (Pb) was the dominant contributor, with increased exposure linked to higher risks of normal (OR=1.21) and accelerated (OR=1.54) aging trajectories.

Conclusions:

• Three distinct biological aging trajectories were identified in the study population.
• Exposure to mixed toxic metals, especially lead, is associated with an increased risk of accelerated biological aging.
• Findings underscore the need to reduce environmental toxic metals to support healthy aging interventions in older adults.