Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, driven by major events such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke. Lifestyle behaviors such as sleep, physical activity, and diet are the key determinants of cardiovascular health. However, they have always been studied in isolation.
Emerging evidence suggests that these behaviors interact synergistically, influencing cardiometabolic pathways, including inflammation, endothelial function, and glucose regulation.
A large prospective cohort study involving 53,242 participants studied the combined impact of SPAN i.e., Sleep, Physical Activity (both assessed using wearables) and Nutrition (using self-reported questionnaire) on cardiovascular outcomes. Even modest improvements across these SPAN behaviors can substantially reduce cardiovascular risk, highlighting the importance of integrated lifestyle strategies.
(Source: Koemel NA, Biswas RK, Simpson SJ, Rezende LFM, Wang T, Bauman A, Raubenheimer D, Allman-Farinelli M, Cistulli PA, Ahmadi MN, Stamatakis E. Combined variations in sleep, physical activity, and nutrition and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2026 Mar 23:zwag141. Doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwag141)