A critical component of the Exposome is linking exogenous exposures to both internal dose and associated biological response. For example: we can measure acute exposure to pollutants, drugs, nutrients in blood or urine; exposure to these compounds can initiate local and global changes in gene methylation and transcription, and metabolite and microbiome pathway alterations.
As a result, micro- and macroscale interactions occur among these systems that can be characterised to study exposure–response relationships. Measurements can provide information on acute biological responses that occur at a biologically relevant dose and also on whether long-term alterations in physiology—that is, markers of exposure memory—have been detected from environmental stressors occurring years or decades before.
The environment we live in has a dominant impact on our health. It explains an estimated seventy percent of the chronic disease burden. Where we live, what we eat, how much we exercise, the air we breathe and whom we associate with; all of these environmental factors play a role. The combination of these factors over the life course is called the exposome. There is general (scientific) consensus that understanding more about the exposome will help explain the current burden of disease and that it provides entry points for prevention and ...
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