Mito Health: Helping you live healthier, longer.
In-depth bloodwork & holistic health advice, backed by the latest longevity science. Only $399.
Your Body’s Unseen Stressor: Understanding Heavy Metals and What To Do
Lead, mercury, arsenic, and more can strain your gut, brain, and heart. Learn sources, symptoms, and smart ways to lower your heavy-metal burden.
Written by
Gabriel Tan
Heavy metals sound like a niche toxicology topic. In reality they are a quiet, day-to-day stress on systems you care about most: your gut, brain, and heart.
You do not need an alarm. You do need a working picture of what these metals do, where they come from, how to spot possible problems, and how to bring your burden down.
What Are Some "Heavy Metals"?
The label covers several elements that can build up in tissues and cause harm at relatively low doses over time: lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum are the usual culprits in everyday life.
Iron deserves a mention too. It is essential, but in excess it behaves like a pro-oxidant and can aggravate gut and metabolic issues.
Lead still appears in older housing paint and plumbing. It accumulates in bone and can affect the brain, blood pressure, kidneys, and the gut’s barrier function.
Mercury comes mainly from certain large predatory fish and some occupational or environmental sources. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and stress the intestinal lining.
Arsenic contaminates some groundwater and rice-based foods. Long exposure is linked with skin, vascular, and metabolic problems.
Cadmium concentrates in tobacco smoke and some foods grown in contaminated soil and can stress kidneys and bones.
Aluminum is common in cookware and some additives. It is less bioavailable than others but can irritate the gut in certain contexts.
Iron overload is not a classic “heavy metal” scenario, yet chronically high ferritin can foster oxidative stress and alter the microbiome.
How Heavy Metals Affect Healthspan
Think of heavy metals as friction inside your biology. They bind to enzymes that run energy production, add oxidative stress, nudge inflammation, and disrupt the tight junctions that keep your gut barrier intact.
Over time that can look like brain fog, GI reactivity, higher blood pressure, low resilience to stressors, and sluggish recovery after illness or workouts.
The gut is often an early target, since it is a first point of contact and a control center for immune tone.
Early Signs to Pay Attention To
No single symptom confirms a heavy-metal problem, and many of these overlap with other issues. Patterns matter.
Unexplained GI sensitivity, frequent bloating, or swings between loose stools and constipation
Headache patterns, brain fog, or slower processing after certain meals or exposures
Worsening blood pressure or glucose control without obvious lifestyle changes
Fatigue out of proportion to training or sleep debt
If you live in an older home with peeling paint, rely on private well water, eat a lot of large predatory fish, or have known industrial exposure, your threshold for action should be lower.
Where Exposure Comes From in Everyday Life
Water and pipes in older buildings can leach lead. Private wells can carry arsenic.
Food choices such as tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish raise mercury intake. Rice concentrates arsenic more than many grains.
House dust and soil around older structures can contain lead.
Tobacco smoke is a major cadmium source.
Work and hobbies that involve soldering, batteries, pigments, or smelting raise risk.
Cookware and packaging may add small amounts of aluminum, especially with acidic foods.
How to Lower Your Load
You do not need exotic protocols. Start with exposure control, then support your body’s native clearance systems.
Tighten up water and home basics
In older housing, use cold water for cooking and drinking, and consider a certified filter for lead. Flush taps after long stagnation.
Wet-mop and HEPA-vacuum living areas to reduce dust if you have legacy lead paint or soil risk.
Make smarter seafood swaps
Choose lower-mercury, omega-3-rich fish most of the time: salmon, sardines, trout, anchovies, and herring. Keep large predatory fish as the occasional exception rather than the weekly habit.
Support the gut barrier daily
A resilient gut limits absorption and helps escort metals out with bile and stool. Build meals around protein, colorful plants, and fiber from vegetables, legumes, and resistant starches that feed butyrate-producing microbes.
If your gut is sensitive, scale fiber up gradually and prioritize cooked forms first. Polyphenol-rich foods and minerals like zinc and magnesium help maintain tight junctions and antioxidant defenses.
Sweat, move, and sleep
Saunas, exercise that raises your heart rate, and consistent sleep all improve circulation, lymph flow, and metabolic turnover. These do not “sweat out” all metals, yet they shift your biology toward better repair and clearance.
Final word
Heavy metals are not a reason to panic. They are a reason to get practical. Tighten water and food sources, build a gut-friendly plate, keep bile and bowels moving, train and sleep on a rhythm, and avoid risky “detox hacks.”
The payoff is real. Lowering this hidden friction helps your brain stay sharp, your gut stay calm, and your heart and metabolism age better.
Resources
Related Articles
Mito Health: Helping you live healthier, longer.
In-depth bloodwork & holistic health advice, backed by the latest longevity science. Only $399.
Your Body’s Unseen Stressor: Understanding Heavy Metals and What To Do
Lead, mercury, arsenic, and more can strain your gut, brain, and heart. Learn sources, symptoms, and smart ways to lower your heavy-metal burden.
Written by
Gabriel Tan
Heavy metals sound like a niche toxicology topic. In reality they are a quiet, day-to-day stress on systems you care about most: your gut, brain, and heart.
You do not need an alarm. You do need a working picture of what these metals do, where they come from, how to spot possible problems, and how to bring your burden down.
What Are Some "Heavy Metals"?
The label covers several elements that can build up in tissues and cause harm at relatively low doses over time: lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum are the usual culprits in everyday life.
Iron deserves a mention too. It is essential, but in excess it behaves like a pro-oxidant and can aggravate gut and metabolic issues.
Lead still appears in older housing paint and plumbing. It accumulates in bone and can affect the brain, blood pressure, kidneys, and the gut’s barrier function.
Mercury comes mainly from certain large predatory fish and some occupational or environmental sources. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and stress the intestinal lining.
Arsenic contaminates some groundwater and rice-based foods. Long exposure is linked with skin, vascular, and metabolic problems.
Cadmium concentrates in tobacco smoke and some foods grown in contaminated soil and can stress kidneys and bones.
Aluminum is common in cookware and some additives. It is less bioavailable than others but can irritate the gut in certain contexts.
Iron overload is not a classic “heavy metal” scenario, yet chronically high ferritin can foster oxidative stress and alter the microbiome.
How Heavy Metals Affect Healthspan
Think of heavy metals as friction inside your biology. They bind to enzymes that run energy production, add oxidative stress, nudge inflammation, and disrupt the tight junctions that keep your gut barrier intact.
Over time that can look like brain fog, GI reactivity, higher blood pressure, low resilience to stressors, and sluggish recovery after illness or workouts.
The gut is often an early target, since it is a first point of contact and a control center for immune tone.
Early Signs to Pay Attention To
No single symptom confirms a heavy-metal problem, and many of these overlap with other issues. Patterns matter.
Unexplained GI sensitivity, frequent bloating, or swings between loose stools and constipation
Headache patterns, brain fog, or slower processing after certain meals or exposures
Worsening blood pressure or glucose control without obvious lifestyle changes
Fatigue out of proportion to training or sleep debt
If you live in an older home with peeling paint, rely on private well water, eat a lot of large predatory fish, or have known industrial exposure, your threshold for action should be lower.
Where Exposure Comes From in Everyday Life
Water and pipes in older buildings can leach lead. Private wells can carry arsenic.
Food choices such as tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish raise mercury intake. Rice concentrates arsenic more than many grains.
House dust and soil around older structures can contain lead.
Tobacco smoke is a major cadmium source.
Work and hobbies that involve soldering, batteries, pigments, or smelting raise risk.
Cookware and packaging may add small amounts of aluminum, especially with acidic foods.
How to Lower Your Load
You do not need exotic protocols. Start with exposure control, then support your body’s native clearance systems.
Tighten up water and home basics
In older housing, use cold water for cooking and drinking, and consider a certified filter for lead. Flush taps after long stagnation.
Wet-mop and HEPA-vacuum living areas to reduce dust if you have legacy lead paint or soil risk.
Make smarter seafood swaps
Choose lower-mercury, omega-3-rich fish most of the time: salmon, sardines, trout, anchovies, and herring. Keep large predatory fish as the occasional exception rather than the weekly habit.
Support the gut barrier daily
A resilient gut limits absorption and helps escort metals out with bile and stool. Build meals around protein, colorful plants, and fiber from vegetables, legumes, and resistant starches that feed butyrate-producing microbes.
If your gut is sensitive, scale fiber up gradually and prioritize cooked forms first. Polyphenol-rich foods and minerals like zinc and magnesium help maintain tight junctions and antioxidant defenses.
Sweat, move, and sleep
Saunas, exercise that raises your heart rate, and consistent sleep all improve circulation, lymph flow, and metabolic turnover. These do not “sweat out” all metals, yet they shift your biology toward better repair and clearance.
Final word
Heavy metals are not a reason to panic. They are a reason to get practical. Tighten water and food sources, build a gut-friendly plate, keep bile and bowels moving, train and sleep on a rhythm, and avoid risky “detox hacks.”
The payoff is real. Lowering this hidden friction helps your brain stay sharp, your gut stay calm, and your heart and metabolism age better.
Resources
Related Articles
Mito Health: Helping you live healthier, longer.
In-depth bloodwork & holistic health advice, backed by the latest longevity science. Only $399.
Your Body’s Unseen Stressor: Understanding Heavy Metals and What To Do
Lead, mercury, arsenic, and more can strain your gut, brain, and heart. Learn sources, symptoms, and smart ways to lower your heavy-metal burden.
Written by
Gabriel Tan
Heavy metals sound like a niche toxicology topic. In reality they are a quiet, day-to-day stress on systems you care about most: your gut, brain, and heart.
You do not need an alarm. You do need a working picture of what these metals do, where they come from, how to spot possible problems, and how to bring your burden down.
What Are Some "Heavy Metals"?
The label covers several elements that can build up in tissues and cause harm at relatively low doses over time: lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum are the usual culprits in everyday life.
Iron deserves a mention too. It is essential, but in excess it behaves like a pro-oxidant and can aggravate gut and metabolic issues.
Lead still appears in older housing paint and plumbing. It accumulates in bone and can affect the brain, blood pressure, kidneys, and the gut’s barrier function.
Mercury comes mainly from certain large predatory fish and some occupational or environmental sources. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and stress the intestinal lining.
Arsenic contaminates some groundwater and rice-based foods. Long exposure is linked with skin, vascular, and metabolic problems.
Cadmium concentrates in tobacco smoke and some foods grown in contaminated soil and can stress kidneys and bones.
Aluminum is common in cookware and some additives. It is less bioavailable than others but can irritate the gut in certain contexts.
Iron overload is not a classic “heavy metal” scenario, yet chronically high ferritin can foster oxidative stress and alter the microbiome.
How Heavy Metals Affect Healthspan
Think of heavy metals as friction inside your biology. They bind to enzymes that run energy production, add oxidative stress, nudge inflammation, and disrupt the tight junctions that keep your gut barrier intact.
Over time that can look like brain fog, GI reactivity, higher blood pressure, low resilience to stressors, and sluggish recovery after illness or workouts.
The gut is often an early target, since it is a first point of contact and a control center for immune tone.
Early Signs to Pay Attention To
No single symptom confirms a heavy-metal problem, and many of these overlap with other issues. Patterns matter.
Unexplained GI sensitivity, frequent bloating, or swings between loose stools and constipation
Headache patterns, brain fog, or slower processing after certain meals or exposures
Worsening blood pressure or glucose control without obvious lifestyle changes
Fatigue out of proportion to training or sleep debt
If you live in an older home with peeling paint, rely on private well water, eat a lot of large predatory fish, or have known industrial exposure, your threshold for action should be lower.
Where Exposure Comes From in Everyday Life
Water and pipes in older buildings can leach lead. Private wells can carry arsenic.
Food choices such as tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish raise mercury intake. Rice concentrates arsenic more than many grains.
House dust and soil around older structures can contain lead.
Tobacco smoke is a major cadmium source.
Work and hobbies that involve soldering, batteries, pigments, or smelting raise risk.
Cookware and packaging may add small amounts of aluminum, especially with acidic foods.
How to Lower Your Load
You do not need exotic protocols. Start with exposure control, then support your body’s native clearance systems.
Tighten up water and home basics
In older housing, use cold water for cooking and drinking, and consider a certified filter for lead. Flush taps after long stagnation.
Wet-mop and HEPA-vacuum living areas to reduce dust if you have legacy lead paint or soil risk.
Make smarter seafood swaps
Choose lower-mercury, omega-3-rich fish most of the time: salmon, sardines, trout, anchovies, and herring. Keep large predatory fish as the occasional exception rather than the weekly habit.
Support the gut barrier daily
A resilient gut limits absorption and helps escort metals out with bile and stool. Build meals around protein, colorful plants, and fiber from vegetables, legumes, and resistant starches that feed butyrate-producing microbes.
If your gut is sensitive, scale fiber up gradually and prioritize cooked forms first. Polyphenol-rich foods and minerals like zinc and magnesium help maintain tight junctions and antioxidant defenses.
Sweat, move, and sleep
Saunas, exercise that raises your heart rate, and consistent sleep all improve circulation, lymph flow, and metabolic turnover. These do not “sweat out” all metals, yet they shift your biology toward better repair and clearance.
Final word
Heavy metals are not a reason to panic. They are a reason to get practical. Tighten water and food sources, build a gut-friendly plate, keep bile and bowels moving, train and sleep on a rhythm, and avoid risky “detox hacks.”
The payoff is real. Lowering this hidden friction helps your brain stay sharp, your gut stay calm, and your heart and metabolism age better.
Resources
Related Articles
Your Body’s Unseen Stressor: Understanding Heavy Metals and What To Do
Lead, mercury, arsenic, and more can strain your gut, brain, and heart. Learn sources, symptoms, and smart ways to lower your heavy-metal burden.
Written by
Gabriel Tan
Heavy metals sound like a niche toxicology topic. In reality they are a quiet, day-to-day stress on systems you care about most: your gut, brain, and heart.
You do not need an alarm. You do need a working picture of what these metals do, where they come from, how to spot possible problems, and how to bring your burden down.
What Are Some "Heavy Metals"?
The label covers several elements that can build up in tissues and cause harm at relatively low doses over time: lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum are the usual culprits in everyday life.
Iron deserves a mention too. It is essential, but in excess it behaves like a pro-oxidant and can aggravate gut and metabolic issues.
Lead still appears in older housing paint and plumbing. It accumulates in bone and can affect the brain, blood pressure, kidneys, and the gut’s barrier function.
Mercury comes mainly from certain large predatory fish and some occupational or environmental sources. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and stress the intestinal lining.
Arsenic contaminates some groundwater and rice-based foods. Long exposure is linked with skin, vascular, and metabolic problems.
Cadmium concentrates in tobacco smoke and some foods grown in contaminated soil and can stress kidneys and bones.
Aluminum is common in cookware and some additives. It is less bioavailable than others but can irritate the gut in certain contexts.
Iron overload is not a classic “heavy metal” scenario, yet chronically high ferritin can foster oxidative stress and alter the microbiome.
How Heavy Metals Affect Healthspan
Think of heavy metals as friction inside your biology. They bind to enzymes that run energy production, add oxidative stress, nudge inflammation, and disrupt the tight junctions that keep your gut barrier intact.
Over time that can look like brain fog, GI reactivity, higher blood pressure, low resilience to stressors, and sluggish recovery after illness or workouts.
The gut is often an early target, since it is a first point of contact and a control center for immune tone.
Early Signs to Pay Attention To
No single symptom confirms a heavy-metal problem, and many of these overlap with other issues. Patterns matter.
Unexplained GI sensitivity, frequent bloating, or swings between loose stools and constipation
Headache patterns, brain fog, or slower processing after certain meals or exposures
Worsening blood pressure or glucose control without obvious lifestyle changes
Fatigue out of proportion to training or sleep debt
If you live in an older home with peeling paint, rely on private well water, eat a lot of large predatory fish, or have known industrial exposure, your threshold for action should be lower.
Where Exposure Comes From in Everyday Life
Water and pipes in older buildings can leach lead. Private wells can carry arsenic.
Food choices such as tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish raise mercury intake. Rice concentrates arsenic more than many grains.
House dust and soil around older structures can contain lead.
Tobacco smoke is a major cadmium source.
Work and hobbies that involve soldering, batteries, pigments, or smelting raise risk.
Cookware and packaging may add small amounts of aluminum, especially with acidic foods.
How to Lower Your Load
You do not need exotic protocols. Start with exposure control, then support your body’s native clearance systems.
Tighten up water and home basics
In older housing, use cold water for cooking and drinking, and consider a certified filter for lead. Flush taps after long stagnation.
Wet-mop and HEPA-vacuum living areas to reduce dust if you have legacy lead paint or soil risk.
Make smarter seafood swaps
Choose lower-mercury, omega-3-rich fish most of the time: salmon, sardines, trout, anchovies, and herring. Keep large predatory fish as the occasional exception rather than the weekly habit.
Support the gut barrier daily
A resilient gut limits absorption and helps escort metals out with bile and stool. Build meals around protein, colorful plants, and fiber from vegetables, legumes, and resistant starches that feed butyrate-producing microbes.
If your gut is sensitive, scale fiber up gradually and prioritize cooked forms first. Polyphenol-rich foods and minerals like zinc and magnesium help maintain tight junctions and antioxidant defenses.
Sweat, move, and sleep
Saunas, exercise that raises your heart rate, and consistent sleep all improve circulation, lymph flow, and metabolic turnover. These do not “sweat out” all metals, yet they shift your biology toward better repair and clearance.
Final word
Heavy metals are not a reason to panic. They are a reason to get practical. Tighten water and food sources, build a gut-friendly plate, keep bile and bowels moving, train and sleep on a rhythm, and avoid risky “detox hacks.”
The payoff is real. Lowering this hidden friction helps your brain stay sharp, your gut stay calm, and your heart and metabolism age better.
Resources
Related Articles
Mito Health: Helping you live healthier, longer.
In-depth bloodwork & holistic health advice, backed by the latest longevity science. Only $399.
Recently published
What could cost you $15,000? $349 with Mito.
No hidden fees. No subscription traps. Just real care.
What's included
Core Test - Comprehensive lab test covering 100+ biomarkers
Clinician reviewed insights and action plan
1:1 consultation with a real clinician
Upload past lab reports for lifetime tracking
Dedicated 1:1 health coaching
Duo Bundle (For 2)
Most popular
$798
$668
$130 off (17%)
Individual
$399
$349
$50 off (13%)
What could cost you $15,000? $349 with Mito.
No hidden fees. No subscription traps. Just real care.
What's included
Core Test - Comprehensive lab test covering 100+ biomarkers
Clinician reviewed insights and action plan
1:1 consultation with a real clinician
Upload past lab reports for lifetime tracking
Dedicated 1:1 health coaching
Duo Bundle (For 2)
Most popular
$798
$668
$130 off (17%)
Individual
$399
$349
$50 off (13%)
What could cost you $15,000? $349 with Mito.
No hidden fees. No subscription traps. Just real care.
What's included
Core Test - Comprehensive lab test covering 100+ biomarkers
Clinician reviewed insights and action plan
1:1 consultation with a real clinician
Upload past lab reports for lifetime tracking
Dedicated 1:1 health coaching
Duo Bundle (For 2)
Most popular
$798
$668
$130 off (17%)
Individual
$399
$349
$50 off (13%)
What could cost you $15,000? $349 with Mito.
No hidden fees. No subscription traps. Just real care.
Core Test - Comprehensive lab test covering 100+ biomarkers
Clinician reviewed insights and action plan
1:1 consultation with a real clinician
Upload past lab reports for lifetime tracking
Dedicated 1:1 health coaching
What's included
Duo Bundle (For 2)
Most popular
$798
$668
$130 off (17%)
Individual
$399
$349
$50 off (13%)