The Healthy Trinity to Face Non‐communicable Diseases: Physical Activity, Nutrition and Sleep

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, cancerCancers, and heart disease, are significant global healthHealth concerns. Under the allostasis paradigm, the body’s physiological systems continually adjust to maintain stability in response to stressors, and chronic exposure to these can lead to allostatic overload, contributing to the developmentDevelopment of NCDs. The prevalence of these diseases has increased in recent years, and lifestyle factors are widely considered to be significant contributors. We introduce ‘The Healthy Trinity’ of physical activity, nutritionNutrition, and sleep as an operational frameworkFramework that can help reduce allostatic load and promote overall healthHealth and well-beingWell-being, reducing the risk of NCDs. The following are essential components of a healthy lifestyle that can significantly improve quality of life and prevent/manage NCDs: (i) regularly engaging in physical activity to improve muscle strength and increase lean mass; (ii) consuming a healthy dietHealthy diet with a mild reduction in calories from carbohydratesCarbohydrates with a high dietary insulin index, along with fiber fortification and lean proteinProteins sources; and, (iii) getting adequate sleep to enhance physical and mentalMental well-being. The key elements of the trinity can vary depending on the context which makes necessary scientific literacy to face NCDs under an allostatic and integrative approach for achieving and maintaining good healthHealth. Practitioners are encouraged to promote public awareness of ‘The Healthy Trinity’ as the “Scutum Salutis” or the shield of healthHealth for the preventionPrevention and management of chronic diseases and to use the allostatic load index for clinical monitoring.