Our research

The Exposome and its Significance for Human Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 24% of the global disease burden and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to modifiable environmental factors. Human health is threatened by numerous environmental pollutants such as metals, endocrine disruptors, and various chemicals. Diseases often result from the complex interaction between genetic predisposition and lifetime environmental exposures, including stress and social dynamics.

The concept of the “exposome,” introduced by Chris Wild in 2005, captures the complete range of factors influencing health throughout life. It consists of three main domains:

These factors collectively shape health by interacting with genetic makeup and environmental conditions. Current research focuses mainly on the negative impacts of environmental exposures, leaving positive influences underexplored. To fully understand health, it’s crucial to examine both detrimental and beneficial exposures.

Epigenetics and its Relevance to Well-being Research

Epigenetics studies heritable changes in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence, involving mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modifications. These mechanisms regulate gene expression and chromatin stability, allowing cells to respond to external stimuli and adapt.

Key epigenetic mechanisms include:

• DNA Methylation: Addition of methyl groups to DNA, silencing gene expression.
• Histone Modifications: Changes in histones affecting chromatin structure and gene activation.
• Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs): RNAs that regulate gene expression and chromatin remodeling, including microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs.

Epigenetic marks can be inherited and influenced by environmental factors like pollutants, stress, and lifestyle. Positive experiences, though less studied, also impact epigenetic regulation, highlighting the need for more research on their beneficial effects.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Pioneering a Novel Field of Research

In response to the prevailing focus on the adverse effects of environmental factors on epigenetic modifications and subsequent health outcomes, there arises an imperative to carve out a new trajectory in scientific exploration. This trajectory deviates from the well-known path of examining detrimental influences and instead charts a course toward illuminating the transformative potential of comprehensive life experiences.

The existing scientific landscape, while invaluable in elucidating the impact of adverse factors, has left unexplored where the beneficial features of the exposome lie. By turning the spotlight onto the epigenetic consequences of positive experiences, we stand on the brink of a paradigm shift —one that enriches our understanding of how constructive elements can shape our biology, psychology, and overall well-being and health.

However, it is essential to underline that this pioneering research does not intend to neglect the importance of detrimental factors. Rather, it endeavors to propose a new lens through which the impact of such factors can be recontextualized. We aspire to introduce a perspective that views the interplay between positive and negative life experiences as a dynamic equilibrium set as evolutionary adaptation to a changing world —a delicate interweaving that contributes to the total load experienced by an individual. In this view, it is the cumulative effect of various influences that assumes paramount importance, transcending the impact of isolated risk factors on isolated diseases.

Through this groundbreaking research, we seek to reshape the narrative of health and well-being from one of deficits to one of potential. In the subsequent sections, we outline the strategic foundations of this pioneering endeavor, describing how it promises to go beyond existing boundaries and expand the horizons of scientific exploration.