Research highlights

Mediterranean-diet intervention lowered relative cardiovascular-event risk by ~30% in high-risk adults

Population: 7,447 high-risk adults aged 55–80 (Spain)

150 min/week of moderate aerobic activity associated with ~31% lower all-cause mortality risk

Population: Adults across multiple large prospective cohort studies

Adults sleeping fewer than 7 hours/night had 3× higher risk of catching a cold in a controlled exposure study

Population: 164 healthy adults aged 18–55 (Pittsburgh, USA)

High dietary fibre intake (>25g/day) associated with 15–30% lower risk of colorectal cancer

Population: Pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies (hundreds of thousands of adults)

Resistance training 2×/week associated with ~34% lower type 2 diabetes risk

Population: 32,002 US male health professionals followed over 18 years

Consistent sleep timing associated with better metabolic health independent of total sleep duration

Population: 2,003 adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Replacing 5% of saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces coronary heart disease risk by ~10%

Population: Pooled analysis of large US cohort studies (Nurses' Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-up Study)

Short post-meal walks (10 min) reduce post-meal blood glucose in adults with type 2 diabetes

Population: 41 adults with type 2 diabetes

Morning bright light exposure advances sleep timing by ~1.5 hours within one week

Population: 20 adults with delayed sleep phase (evening chronotypes)

A high-fermented-food diet increased microbiome diversity and reduced 19 inflammatory proteins over 10 weeks

Population: 36 healthy adults (Stanford, USA)

Tai chi reduces fall rates in adults over 65 by 20–45% (Cochrane Review, 43 trials, 9,000+ participants)

Population: 9,000+ adults aged 65+ across 43 trials

CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) outperforms sleep medication for long-term insomnia in head-to-head trials

Population: Adults with chronic primary insomnia

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA+DHA) reduce triglycerides by 20–30% at 2–4g/day

Population: Adults with elevated triglycerides across multiple RCTs

Regular aerobic exercise reduces systolic blood pressure by ~5–8 mmHg in hypertensive adults

Population: Adults with hypertension across multiple RCTs

Social isolation associated with ~26% higher all-cause mortality risk — comparable in magnitude to smoking 15 cigarettes/day

Population: 3.4 million adults across 70 prospective studies

Each additional daily serving of vegetables associated with ~4% lower coronary heart disease risk

Population: 110,000+ adults from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study

Exercise reduces depressive symptoms with effect sizes comparable to antidepressants in mild-to-moderate depression

Population: 156 adults aged 50+ with major depressive disorder

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL) affects ~42% of US adults

Population: 4,495 US adults from NHANES 2001–2006

Time-restricted eating (10-hour window) improved blood pressure, glucose, and lipids in adults with metabolic syndrome

Population: 19 adults with metabolic syndrome on stable statin therapy

Sarcopenia affects ~10% of adults over 60 and is substantially slowed by progressive resistance training

Population: Adults aged 60+ across multiple observational and intervention studies