About Metabolomics
Metabolomics is a field of life science that uses advanced analytical chemistry techniques in conjunction with sophisticated statistical methods to comprehensively characterize the metabolome. The metabolome is the complete collection of metabolites, or small molecule chemicals, found in a given organelle, cell, organ, biofluid or organism.
Metabolites include endogenous compounds such as lipids, amino acids, nucleic acids, sugars, alcohols and organic acids, as well as exogenous compounds, such as plant/food phytochemicals, food additives, drugs, microbial by-products, cosmetic chemicals, pollutants, herbicides and pesticides.
The metabolome of every individual is exquisitely sensitive to many internal and external variables, including age, gender, diet, location, environment, time of day and even one’s own genetics. Because metabolites are downstream products for so many important cellular activities, they are very useful for monitoring the diet, detecting disease and predicting health outcomes.