Exposome

At its most complete, the exposome encompasses life-course environmental exposures (including lifestyle factors), from the prenatal period onwards.

While the definition of the exposome includes all exposures that occur from conception throughout an individual's lifetime, an emerging concept is the need to also consider exposures prior to conception.

Every time we pant, or press, or swallow, we welcome into not just our delicate biology but into those cherished fables, too, the ecological influence of the exposome.

The exposome is a measure of all the environmental or external exposures we face over our lifetime and the ways in which these impact our health. It includes everything from diet, lifestyle, education and income to air pollution, chemical exposures, and climate conditions.