Roundtable #10: Physical Activity and Nutrition
In June, the Business Collaborative for Brain Health gathered business leaders and industry experts to discuss the connection between physical activity, nutrition and brain health. The roundtable underscored the impact diet, nutrition and exercise have on employee well-being and by extension, business outcomes. Research continues to find that workplace health and organizational success are interconnected. By examining this link, organizations can execute actionable strategies and build a healthier, more productive workforce.
Speakers for the roundtable included Dr. David Katz, Chief Medical Officer of Tangelo, Founder of Diet ID and True Health Initiative, and Founding Director of Yale-Griffin PRC (1998-2019), Dr. Laurie Whitsel, National Vice President of Policy Research for the American Heart Association and Senior Advisor for the Physical Activity Alliance and Dr. Colleen Saringer a research fellow with HERO Health and Founder of CS Culture Consulting Services.
Diet is Key to a Healthy Body and Brain
The interconnected relationship of different lifestyle factors—such as nutrition quality, physical activity levels, sleep adequacy and stress resilience—have a direct impact on cognitive function.
Dr. Katz, renowned for his work in preventive medicine and nutrition, highlighted the critical role of diet and its impact on brain health, citing research that links lifestyle choices to reduced risks of chronic diseases and cognitive decline. He detailed the impact food and nutrition can have on our health down to the cellular level, advocating for plant-based diets and holistic health approaches to support brain function and overall well-being.
(Featured image from Dr. Katz’s presentation)
Highlights from Katz:
Poor diet is the leading predictors of premature death in the U.S., accounting for more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.
Lifestyle changes, including diet, exercise and avoiding toxins like tobacco and alcohol can significantly impact health outcomes, such as turning off cancer promoter genes and turning on cancer suppressor genes.
Diet and lifestyle influence gene expression related to cardiovascular health, which is crucial for cognitive function.
Diets like the Mediterranean, Nordic, DASH, and MIND are linked to lower risks of cognitive decline and dementia.
Optimizing overall health, including cardiovascular, metabolic and endocrine health, is crucial for brain health.
A diet of mostly unprocessed plant foods and plain water is ideal for health. This is evidenced by Blue Zones--populations with the longest, healthiest lives follow plant-based, minimally processed diets.
Diets high in animal products and processed foods harm both human health and the planet. Sustainable diets benefit both.
Katz developed Diet ID, a tool for quickly assessing diet quality to improve individual and public health outcomes. Diet ID provides culturally tailored dietary recommendations to meet diverse populations' needs.
How Do We Apply This to the U.S. Health System?
One collaborative member posed an important question to Katz during the discussion. How can we align the greater healthcare system and key decision makers like insurers to make diet a part of medical records and incentivize better health practices?
Katz explained medicine’s history of resistance to new practices, emphasizing that while payers are part of the problem, the broader issue is the conservative nature of the medical field. But there is hope in the recent shift toward value-based care, where managing risk and optimizing health can be profitable.
Katz's work with Diet ID is making significant inroads into this very issue by collaborating with corporate clients, large healthcare systems and wellness programs to integrate diet measures into electronic health records (EHRs).
Although there’s still a lot of work to be done in this area, Katz emphasized the need to continue advocating for new metrics and innovations that will ultimately move the needle within the greater health ecosystem.
The Role of Physical Activity and the Physical Activity Alliance
Dr. Laurie Whitsel presented to the group about the Physical Activity Alliance's efforts to promote physical activity through policy and systems changes. She highlighted the Alliance's three main sectors: the National Physical Activity Plan, policy and systems change work, and professional development.
Part of the Alliance’s efforts include The CEO Pledge for Physical Activity, aimed at encouraging organizational leaders to integrate and role model physical activity at work. When you sign the CEO pledge, users will be directed to a menu of strategies they can implement as a corporate or organizational leader to support physical activity for their workforce.
(Featured image from Dr. Whitsel’s presentation)
Dr. Whitsel also shared the Alliance’s work on integrating physical activity assessment into healthcare delivery as a standard of care. This includes standardized measures for physical activity integrated into EHRs, with efforts to formalize these measures into federal regulations by 2027.
While the link between physical activity, brain health and overall productivity is undeniable the question remains, how can employers successfully promote and incentivize employees to be physically active?
Whitsel stressed the importance of CEO role modeling and integrating physical activity into employee health assessments and benefit plans. She emphasized the importance of business and healthcare sectors working together to promote exercise and active living, highlighting initiatives like allowing the use of flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts for supervised exercise therapy or gym memberships for medical conditions.
The Collaborative members discussed examples they’ve seen from other organizations and posed a question to Whitsel on how they can apply these strategies to remote work situations.
Remote work has reshaped traditional workplace dynamics. Challenges such as increased sedentary behavior and decreased physical activity prompt the need for innovative strategies and flexible health interventions that support mental and cognitive health in remote settings. As traditional opportunities for physical activity decrease, organizations must create new strategies to reduce sitting and encourage movement among remote workers by incorporating comprehensive fitness and wellness programs into their benefit designs.
The HERO Scorecard
During the roundtable, Dr. Colleen Saringer provided the Collaborative with a comprehensive walkthrough on how The HERO Scorecard assesses workplace health and wellness practices.
The Hero Scorecard, established in 2006 and now in its fifth version, assesses companies across various sectors and sizes, focusing on areas like organizational support, policies, and program effectiveness related to health and well-being. Saringer emphasized the Scorecard's role in driving positive financial outcomes and enhancing employee engagement through initiatives like physical activity programs and supportive workplace environments.
The integration of brain health metrics into the Scorecard also signifies a strategic shift towards prioritizing cognitive health within corporate wellness initiatives. This aligns with emerging research on the interconnectedness of physical and mental well-being in the workplace, guiding organizations towards more holistic wellness strategies.
She discussed the importance of policies that promote physical activity during work hours without penalty, supported by environments such as fitness facilities and walking routes.
(Featured image from Dr. Whitsel’s presentation)
Saringer reinforced the need for continued research and improvement in workplace health initiatives. She invited the Collaborative to further engage with HERO and encouraged organizations to participate in the Scorecard to contribute to ongoing research and best practices development.
The Business Collaborative for Brain Health (BCBH) is a collaborative of private sector partners developing innovative solutions to cognitive health throughout the lifespan. The Collaborative hosts regular roundtables to learn from experts and stakeholders and refine the work. If you’re interested in attending or participating in a roundtable discussion or want to learn more about how you can get involved with the Collaborative visit: https://businessforbrainhealth.org/