If you knew that with a few minimal behavioural changes you would lower your risk of cardiovascular disease…would you do it? 

A result study applying theoretical and observational logic to a collection of behavioural changes found – 

The minimum behaviour changes required to improve your cardiovascular health. 

• Sleep – an extra 10 minutes/day
• Activity – 5 min/day more moderate to vigorous exercise
• Nutrition – 3 extra points on a nutrition score (means: consume one fourth a cup of vegetables per day)
• Cardiovascular Risk – reduced by 10%

Not much to change to obtain a great result. 

It is well known that sleep, physical activity and nutrition are established behaviours that can be modified to improve overall health and wellbeing – particularly cardiovascular health. 

Historically these behaviours have been studied as stand-alone risk factors. This study, believed to be a first, has theoretically calculate the impact of all three as a cluster of behaviours and overall health and life. It is an observational study. The research cannot establish a definitive causal relationship between the lifestyle behaviours and cardiovascular risk. 

53,245 adults (average age 64 years, 54.6% females, 45.4% males) were tracked over 8.1 years, with a cohort using a variety of wearable data collection devices, machine-based algorithm as well as completing a 10-item diet quality score. 

The study showed that slight changes across all three behaviours may be more sustainable when compared to trying to bring about substantial changes to a single behaviour. 

It shows that when focused on each of the individual behaviours it requires substantial amounts of effort to achieve improvements to both your health and lifespan. However, when the three behaviours were addressed in combination the overall energy required to bring about meaningful improvements was lower.  

It is demonstrating that small, simultaneous improvements in sleep, physical activity and diet quality were associated with clinically meaningful theoretical gains in lifespan and health profile. 

The optimal approach to achieve the best cardiovascular outcomes. 

• Sleep – 8.0-9.5 hours/day
• Activity – 40-105 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous activity
• Nutrition – a diet quality score of 33-50. Eat well and eat clean
• Cardiovascular Risk – reduced by 57%

Targeting all three behaviours concurrently suggests even subtle variations and improvements may be associated with long term cardiovascular benefits. The multi-level, multi discipline approach means working on all three behaviours rather than concentrating on one at a time.  

Optimum has developed an individual and company Risk Rating that is based on the sum of the impact across a number of behavioural risk factors. It displays real data and calculates the level of risk that is associated with everyone as well as the organisation. 

If you or your organisation would like to understand more about were the risks are in your business, then contact us.