A leading doctor has outlined what she believes to be the four fundamental aspects of health, and they’re so straightforward you might have overlooked them. Dr. Sarah Berry, with over two decades of experience in nutrition research, is a professor at King’s College London’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and has spearheaded more than 30 human studies on cardio-metabolic health.
On the Zoe Science and Nutrition Podcast, alongside Zoe co-founder Jonathan Wolf and Professor Tim Spector, Dr. Berry emphasised how “interlinked” these health pillars are, suggesting that starting with diet could pave the way for improvements in the other areas.
Echoing her sentiments, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, a renowned GP and author of ‘The 4 Pillar Plan’ and ‘The Stress Solution’, also subscribes to a similar philosophy on health’s ‘four pillars’: food, movement, sleep, and relaxation. He contends that even minor adjustments, particularly in our diets, can significantly enhance our overall health and wellbeing.
Dr. Chatterjee champions the 12-hour food window strategy, advising people to consume all their meals within—you guessed it—a 12-hour timeframe. Dr. Chatterjee said: “I say if you can do 12 hours a day, tick it off, and move on to another recommendation. Try and get that balance. It’s a very simple change that I’ve seen be transformative for people.”
The significance of sleep as a fundamental aspect of health is strongly supported by extensive scientific evidence. The world’s inaugural sleep research laboratory was established in 1925 at the University of Chicago, where Professor Allan Rechtschaffen, a trailblazer in sleep studies and the long-standing head of the university’s Sleep Laboratory, made a groundbreaking discovery: mammals cannot survive without sleep, reports Surrey Live.
His research, which involved rats that were subjected to continuous sleep deprivation, led to severe health issues and death within a fortnight. Subsequent research has aimed to unravel why sleep is so vital for survival, yet the exact reasons for the catastrophic impact of sleep deprivation on mammals remain elusive.
Emphasising healthy sleep practices can undoubtedly enhance one’s well-being.
Another critical aspect of health to consider is stress management and its beneficial counterpart, relaxation. As per the American Psychological Association (APA), “The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that come with it can disrupt almost all of your body’s processes.”
“This can put you at increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment. Chronic stress may also cause disease.”
To combat this, the APA suggests identifying the causes of stress, forging strong relationships, stepping away when angry, giving your mind a break, and seeking help from a mental health professional if needed. Exercise is another cornerstone of good health, with the NHS stressing its importance: “It’s essential to be physically active if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.”
The WHO warns that a lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for death from noncommunicable diseases, stating: “People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active,” and highlights that being active boosts health and well-being, while inactivity heightens the risk of NCDs and other adverse health outcomes.
Small but sincere efforts to improve these four pillars of health can greatly enhance one’s life quality.