Table A1.
Cut points for health parameters.
| Variable | Cut Point | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit (servings/day) |
≥3/day | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Vegetables (servings/day) | ≥6/day | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Red meat (servings/wk.) | ≤1x/wk. | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Fish (servings/wk.) |
≥2 | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Eggs (number/wk.) |
≤4 | Harvard School of Public Health. Eggs and Heart Disease; http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/ Note: although an egg a day is considered acceptable for cardiovascular health, this depends on the size of the egg |
| Fast food (times/wk.) |
Ideally none; little nutritional value | USDA Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee; http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf |
| Sweet consumption (servings/wk.) | ≤3 | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Soft drinks (cans/wk.) |
Ideally none | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ |
| Added salt | Minimal or < 1.5 g/day | Promoting a Healthy Diet for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/healtydietguide2012_emro/en/ American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, Stroke, 2014; http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/04/30/STR.0000000000000024.full.pdf+html (most Na is consumed in processed foods; thus, minimal added salt is required) |
| Daily breakfast | Yes | O’Neil et al., J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014 Dec; 114(12 Suppl):S27–43. |
| Physical activity/exercise | 2.5 h moderately intense activity orequivalent/w. | Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. http:/www.who/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/ 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. http:/www.health.gov/paguidelines |
| Stress | Mostly low manageable stress | Harvard Medical School Special Health Report. Positive Psychology. 2011. |
| Sleep | ≥8 h | Harvard Medical School Special Health Report. Improving Sleep. 2013. Coren S. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2009, 25(5):442–452. |
| Quality of life (general life satisfaction over the past month) | ≥7 | Visual analogue scale (0 to 10; 0 extremely low and 10 extremely high) |
| Waist/hip ratio Men Women |
0.85 0.75 |
Yusuf et al. Lancet. 2004; 364(9438):937–952. Yusuf et al. Lancet. 2005; 366(9497):1640–1649. |
| Waist/height ratio | <0.5 | Browning et al. Nutritional Research Review. 2010; 23:247–269. |
| Body mass index (kg·m−2) | 18.5 to 24.9 | World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory Data. Mean body mass index. http:/www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/bmi_text/en/ |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 60–80 | http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Blood-Pressure-vs-Heart-Rate_UCM_301804_Article.jsp |
| Resting systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | ≤120 | http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Blood-Pressure-vs-Heart-Rate_UCM_301804_Article.jsp |
| Resting diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | ≤80 | http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Blood-Pressure-vs-Heart-Rate_UCM_301804_Article.jsp |
| Random blood glucose (mmol/L) | >11.1 | American Diabetes Association. 2015. Diagnosing Diabetes and Learning About Prediabetes. http://www.diabetes.org/are-you-at-risk/prediabetes/ |