Intrinsic health as a foundation for a science of health.

The health sciences largely focus on disease. However, the interconnected determinants of diseases suggest that we need a science of health, a framework to examine the biology of homeodynamics in a changing environment and how this affects the health we value. We build on first principles and recent discoveries on biological system dynamics to develop the concept of intrinsic health, a field-like state emerging from the dynamic interplay of energy, communication, and structure within the organism, giving rise to robustness/resilience, plasticity, performance, and sustainability.

Status of cardiovascular health in United States immigrants using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 framework: a population-based study of prevalence estimates and determinants.

Background: The United States (US) has the largest immigrant population globally. Immigrants endure social and structural factors that adversely influence cardiovascular health (CVH), a construct focused on health preservation, not merely the absence of disease, and defined by eight modifiable health factors and behaviors that support healthy longevity. We compared overall and individual CVH metrics between immigrants and non-immigrants and characterized CVH and its determinants among immigrant sub-populations.

Associations of Concurrent Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes With Mortality Outcomes: A Prospective Study of U.S. Adults.

Objective: To investigate associations of concurrent hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) with mortality in U.S. adults and elucidate differences by sex, race, and ethnicity.

Advancing Chrononutrition for Cardiometabolic Health: A 2023 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop Report.

The circadian system maintains optimal biological functions at the appropriate time of day, and the disruption of this organization can contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic disorders. The timing of eating is a prominent external time cue that influences the circadian system. "Chrononutrition" is an emerging dimension of nutrition and active area of research that examines how timing-related aspects of eating and nutrition impact circadian rhythms, biological processes, and disease pathogenesis.

Examining the Associations of Family-Related Factors with Hypertension in Sexual Minority Women.

We examined the association between family-related factors (i.e., sexual identity disclosure to family and family social support) and hypertension (HTN) among sexual minority women (SMW; i.

Sedentary Behavior and Light-Intensity Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Cardiovascular Health: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans supports sitting less and moving more. Growing evidence suggests that a waking behavior profile with less sedentary behavior and more light-intensity physical activity is associated with more favorable cardiovascular health. Remarkably, little is known about how these behaviors relate to cardiovascular health during pregnancy.

The burden of mental disorders and substance abuse in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study.

Background: Mental disorders pose significant morbidity and mortality risks globally. Despite this, research on mental health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is scarce, hindered by social stigmas and limited healthcare expenditure. This study, utilizing the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database, aims to address this gap by examining the prevalence, incidence, and demographic patterns of mental disorders in MENA.

Association of extreme heat events with sleep and cardiovascular health: a scoping review.

Background: Extreme heat events (EHEs), driven by anthropogenic climate change, exacerbate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. A possible mechanism leading to heat-related CVD is disturbances in sleep health, which can increase the risk of hypertension, and is associated with ideal cardiovascular health. Thus, our objective was to systematically review the peer-reviewed literature that describes the relationship between EHEs, sleep health, and cardiovascular measures and outcomes and narratively describe methodologies, evidence, and gaps in this area in order to develop a future research agenda linking sleep health, EHEs, and CVD.

Disruptions in Sleep Health and Independent Associations with Psychological Distress in Close Family Members of Cardiac Arrest Survivors: A Prospective Study.

Background: While recent guidelines have noted the deleterious effects of poor sleep on cardiovascular health, the upstream impact of cardiac arrest-induced psychological distress on sleep health metrics among families of cardiac arrest survivors remains unknown.

Methods: Sleep health of close family members of consecutive patients with cardiac arrest admitted to an academic center (August 16, 2021-June 28, 2023) was self-reported using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The baseline PSQI, focused on sleep in the month before cardiac arrest, was administered during hospitalization and repeated 1 month after cardiac arrest alongside the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) to assess depression severity.

Enhancing the Cardiovascular Health Construct With a Psychological Health Metric for Predicting Mortality Risk.

Background: The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) Presidential Advisory deemed psychological health foundational for cardiovascular health (CVH) but did not include it as a CVH metric.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations of a CVH construct enhanced with a ninth metric for psychological health based on readily administered depression screening with mortality risk in U.S.

Chrononutrition and Cardiometabolic Health: An Overview of Epidemiological Evidence and Key Future Research Directions.

Chrononutrition is a rapidly evolving field of nutritional epidemiology that addresses the complex relationship between temporal eating patterns, circadian rhythms, and metabolic health, but most prior research has focused on the cardiometabolic consequences of time-restricted feeding and intermittent fasting. The purpose of this topical review is to summarize epidemiological evidence from observational and intervention studies regarding the role of chrononutrition metrics related to eating timing and regularity in cardiometabolic health preservation and cardiovascular disease prevention. Observational studies are limited due to the lack of time-stamped diet data in most population-based studies.

Disruptions in Sleep Health and Independent Associations with Psychological Distress in Close Family Members of Cardiac Arrest Survivors: A Prospective Study.

Background: While recent guidelines have noted the deleterious effects of poor sleep on cardiovascular health, the upstream impact of cardiac arrest-induced psychological distress on sleep health metrics among families of cardiac arrest survivors remains unknown.

Methods: Sleep health of close family members of consecutive cardiac arrest patients admitted at an academic center (8/16/2021 - 6/28/2023) was self-reported on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale. The baseline PSQI administered during hospitalization was cued to sleep in the month before cardiac arrest.

Association of extreme heat events with sleep and cardiovascular health: A scoping review.

Background: Extreme heat events (EHEs), driven by anthropogenic climate change, exacerbate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Disturbances in sleep health, caused by excessive heat, may be one way EHEs increase the risk of incident or recurrent CVD. Our objective was to systematically review the empirical peer-reviewed literature on the relationship between EHEs, sleep health, and cardiovascular measures and outcomes, and narratively describe methodologies, evidence, and gaps in this area.

Psychosocial factors are associated with sleep disturbances and evening chronotype among women: A brief report from the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Network.

Objectives: To evaluate associations between psychosocial factors and sleep characteristics commonly linked to cardiovascular disease risk among racially/ethnically diverse women.

Methods: Women from the AHA Go Red for Women cohort (N = 506, 61% racial/ethnic minority, 37 ± 16years) were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Logistic regression models were adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, education, and insurance.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep health among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations: a systematic review of the literature.

Objectives: This study sought to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep health among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations, understudied geographic regions including with regards to sleep health.

Setting: A systematic literature search of studies published from inception to 27 March 2022 was conducted on multiple databases using developed keywords.

Participants: Studies were included if they (1) investigated one or more aspects/dimensions of sleep health as an outcome (eg, sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep problems); (2) measured the impact of a COVID-19 pandemic-related domain (eg, impact of quarantine, work from home, lifestyle changes); (3) focused on at least one MENA region population; (4) were peer-reviewed; (5) included ≥100 participants; (6) were written in English and (7) had full-text article publicly available.

Association of a Mediterranean Diet Pattern With Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Among US Women.

Importance: The Mediterranean diet pattern is inversely associated with the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, including metabolic diseases and cardiovascular disease, but there are limited data on its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) among US women.

Objective: To evaluate whether concordance to a Mediterranean diet pattern around the time of conception is associated with lower risk of developing any APO and individual APOs.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective, multicenter, cohort study, the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be, enrolled 10 038 women between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2013, with a final analytic sample of 7798 racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse women with singleton pregnancies who had complete diet data.

Sleep and Circadian Disturbance in Cardiovascular Risk.

Purpose Of Review: We discuss the relationship between sleep and circadian factors with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, including physiologic, behavioral, and psychological mechanisms along this pathway.

Recent Findings: The relationship between short and long sleep duration, as well as insomnia, with CVD risk is well-established. Recent work has highlighted how other sleep factors, such as sleep regularity (i.

Multidimensional Sleep Health Is Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence and Cardiometabolic Health in US Adults.

Individual sleep dimensions have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cardiometabolic health (CMH), but sleep health is multifaceted. We investigated associations of a multidimensional sleep health (MDSH) score, enabling the assessment of sleep health gradients, with CVD and CMH. Participants were 4555 adults aged ≥20 years from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.