Food for Thought: Nourishing Cardiovascular Health Amidst the Exposome.

Abstract

The cumulative exposures of an individual during their lifetime, known as the exposome, encompass environmental exposures and lifestyle factors that significantly impact cardiovascular health. The exposome concept aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding how various exposures combine to influence disease risk and health outcomes over a lifetime. Diet is a well-studied aspect of the exposome, recognized as a critical contributor to cardiovascular health and influencing various other health metrics and behaviors. Furthermore, understanding agricultural food systems and their interrelationships with dietary choice and impacts on environmental and human health requires a systems approach. Through a review of the literature, this publication will (1) elucidate the interconnections between the exposome and cardiovascular diseases through the lens of agricultural systems and environmental health; (2) examine the effect of diet on cardiovascular health; (3) examine the influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors on the agricultural food system and dietary choices; and (4) highlight the importance of adopting a systems approach that integrates dietary interventions with sustainable agricultural practices, emphasizing the need for holistic strategies to address the root causes of cardiovascular health issues through balanced human and environmental health interventions.