Lifestyle Interventions and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes

A healthy lifestyle across the lifespan is the foundation for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Lifestyle interventions associated with improved cardiovascular health and ASCVD risk reduction include dietary interventions, physical activity, adequate sleep, improved psychosocial health, and tobacco abstinence or cessation. The majority of the available evidence for the impact of lifestyle interventions on ASCVD outcomes is from observational studies. Results of randomized controlled trials of various lifestyle interventions demonstrate significant beneficial effects on ASCVD risk factors, such as lipids and lipoproteins, glucose, and blood pressures. The totality of the evidence for the association of lifestyle interventions on ASCVD outcomes support the following recommendations: (1) consume a high-quality dietary pattern; (2) limit intakes of saturated fatty acids and replace with unsaturated fatty acids; (3) limit intakes of foods and beverages with added sugars; (4) abstinence of alcohol for those who do not currently drink and limit alcohol intake to ≤1 drink/day for men and women who choose to drink; (5) participate in sufficient quantities and types of physical activity; (6) reduce excess adiposity; (7) obtain adequate quantity and quality of sleep; (8) manage stressors to improve psychological health; and (9) abstain from tobacco use.