A new international study has found that small changes to sleep, exercise and diet may significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
The research, published this week in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, examined how the three everyday habits work together to influence the risk of cardiovascular disease, the world’s leading cause of death.
Researchers analysed data from 53,242 people, both men and women, with a median age of 63. They looked at the risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
The study found that even modest lifestyle changes were linked to meaningful reductions in risk.
Sleeping for just 11 minutes longer a night, doing an additional 4.5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and eating an extra quarter cup of vegetables was associated with a 10 per cent reduction in major cardiovascular events.
Larger improvements were linked to even stronger results.
Researchers found people who slept between eight and 9.5 hours a day, did 40 to 105 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and maintained a higher-quality diet had a 57 per cent lower risk of major cardiovascular events.
Lead author and research fellow at the University of Sydney Dr Nicholas Koemel said, “We show that combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health.
“This is very encouraging news because making a few small, combined changes is likely more achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with attempting major changes in a single behaviour.”
Dr Koemel said that “making even modest shifts in our daily routines” is likely to have cardiovascular benefits.
“I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine, no matter how small they may seem,” he said.
This is the first study to examine the minimum and optimal combination of sleep, physical activity and diet needed to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events.
Sleep and physical activity were measured using wearable devices, while diet was assessed using a food questionnaire to calculate a diet quality score.
Higher-quality diets included more vegetables, fruit, fish, dairy and whole grains, and less processed meat, refined grains and sugary drinks.
Senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis said the team now planned to “build on these findings to develop new digital tools that support people in making positive lifestyle changes and establish sustained healthy habits”.
Researchers also said studying the three factors together was important, because they all affect each other.
Poor sleep can influence appetite and food choices, while physical activity can improve sleep quality and energy levels.
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