Fig. 1
Exposomic analytical framework linking exposures to age-related diseases. The exposome attempts to measure, integrate, and interpret the complex exposures (specific external exposure, general external exposure, and internal exposure) associated with the risk of age-related diseases. The use of multi-omics tools to investigate the adverse effects of these exposures on biological processes can reveal the biological responses to sets of exposures, thereby improving understanding of the development of age-related diseases. Statistical methods can then be applied to identify key elements of the exposome linked to age-related diseases and to determine how these complex exposures affect our biological systems. (AD, Alzheimer’s disease; CAD, cardia-cerebrovascular diseases; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; PD, Parkinson’s disease; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; EWAS, exposome-wide association study)