The Business Case for Ongoing Lifestyle Education

Finding ways to provide ongoing, high-quality, evidence-based information on the definitions and benefits of a healthy lifestyle is a foundational strategy for any benefits team. Continued efforts to improve education and drive engagement are worthwhile and support stronger long-term outcomes. Recent evidence reinforces this approach. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was consistently associated with lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events and reduced all-cause mortality among patients with cardiovascular disease, even when changes in blood pressure and lipid profiles were not significant (Volpe et al., 2026). These findings underscore the value of lifestyle education as a non-pharmacological strategy to help prevent disease progression and improve population health outcomes.

Volpe, R., Ciccone, M. M., Pala, B., Barbarano, F., Camastra, S., Caprio, M., Casirati, A., Ferrera, A., Galletti, F., Greatti, A., Mollica, M. P., Paolillo, S., Parretti, D., Nucci, D., Veronese, N., Fontana, L., Maggi, S., Onder, G., Silano, M., Zanetti, M., & Volpe, M. (2026). Efficacy of Mediterranean diet for the prevention in patients affected by cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis featured in the Italian National Guidelines “La Dieta Mediterranea”. Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2025.113053