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Happy February from Blue Zones™ Health! February is American Heart Month, and as Blue Zones Health providers, you're already practicing the most evidence-based form of cardiovascular prevention there is. As you know, lifestyle medicine isn't just good for the heart; in some cases, it can reverse the damage that decades of modern living have done to it.
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Here’s What’s Happening at Blue Zones Health in February: | | Heart Month Patient Handout |
We've created a one-page handout covering the Blue Zones approach to heart health through food, movement, stress management, and social connection, with a simple action plan patients can start this week. Print it, display it, or share it digitally.
| | | | | | | | Meet Dr. Magda Lenartowicz, Our New Chief Medical Officer |
We are thrilled to introduce Dr. Magda Lenartowicz, who has joined Blue Zones Health as our new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Lenartowicz brings a lifelong passion for lifestyle medicine and genuine commitment to the kind of whole-person care that defines our work. We couldn't be more excited to have her leading our clinical vision.
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As she steps into this role, she is personally reaching out to connect with providers across our network. She'd love to hear how things are going in your practice, what's working, and how Blue Zones Health can continue supporting you and your patients in 2026.
To set up a brief call, reach out to her directly at magda.lenartowicz@bluezoneshealth.com. | | | | | | Labcorp & Diagnostics Alignment | | Blue Zones Health is aligning the network around Labcorp as the preferred diagnostic partner. This transition is designed to improve turnaround times for lab results, reduce claims and billing issues, and ensure cleaner data flow to support quality, risk adjustment, and care coordination. Contracting and rollout efforts are underway, with educational materials and field support being distributed. Practices using other labs will receive transition guidance to support a smooth changeover. | | | | Well-Being Services: How We Bridge the Gaps Between Visits | | Blue Zones Health helps your patients achieve the goals you set — between visits. Well-Being Services is how we do that. Health coaching, nutrition counseling, social work support, care coordination, and lifestyle-based chronic disease management are all delivered under clinical supervision as part of one integrated continuum of care.
Referrals are simple: use Efax or the ACTY portal, and we can typically get your patients scheduled within 48 hours. Learn more about Well-Being Services here, and call 310-295-0981 to get assistance with referring your patients. | | | | In the Community: AgeWell Senior Resource Fair, San Diego | |
In January, Blue Zones Health participated in the annual Senior Resource Fair hosted by AgeWell Senior Services at Park de la Cruz Community Center in San Diego. The event connects community members with local senior-service providers and age-friendly recreation programs across San Diego County. We were one of 42 vendors and had the opportunity to meet more than 125 attendees.
One of those attendees was Keith Miller, a longtime AgeWell participant whose story speaks directly to why this work matters. After retiring and then navigating the isolation of the pandemic, Keith found himself sedentary, housebound, and slipping into depression. Everything changed when he discovered the senior lounge at Balboa Park. He started walking three to five days a week, playing backgammon, putting together puzzles, and building friendships with people his own age.
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In his own words:
"It absolutely changed my life. Before, I was becoming so depressed. My friends said they saw a change in me. I'm not isolated anymore. I'm more active. I have a place to go, something to look forward to, something to get out of the house for." | | | | Keith's story echoes what the research consistently shows: community, movement, and social connection are not nice-to-haves. They are medicine. We were proud to be in the room. | | | | | |
Here are some recent highlights in the world of lifestyle medicine: - A December 2025 study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging analyzed data from 85,551 adults and found that people diagnosed with both depression and anxiety faced roughly a 32% higher risk of heart attack, heart failure, or stroke compared to those with only one condition. Brain imaging data linked this elevated risk to increased stress-related activity in the amygdala, reduced heart rate variability, and higher inflammatory markers, outlining a clear biological pathway from chronic emotional stress to cardiovascular disease.
- How much does loneliness versus isolation actually matter for cognitive health? A January 2026 analysis of more than 30,000 older adults in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study found that social isolation consistently predicted faster cognitive decline across sex, race, and education groups, independent of loneliness. Only 6% of isolation's effect on cognition was mediated by loneliness, confirming isolation itself as a direct causal risk factor.
- For patients with diabetes, social isolation may carry an additional cognitive burden. A January 2026 cohort study of 1,416 adults aged 50 and older with diabetes, using 10 years of Health and Retirement Study data, found that higher social isolation was associated with lower baseline cognitive function. Neither isolation nor loneliness was associated with a faster rate of decline over time, suggesting isolation affects where patients start cognitively, not the pace of progression. The authors recommend screening for social isolation as a standard component of diabetes care.
- Plant-forward eating and mental health may be more connected than previously recognized. A January 2026 cross-sectional study of 5,191 university students in Greece found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety. While the student population limits direct generalizability, the findings add to a growing body of evidence linking Mediterranean-style eating to better mental health outcomes, and align closely with the plant-forward dietary principles central to Blue Zones.
- When it comes to lifestyle behavior change, human contact still matters. A January 2026 randomized controlled trial published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth tested a hybrid intervention combining a mobile app with motivational interviewing, compared with an app-only group and usual care in 75 adults with metabolic syndrome. Both intervention groups outperformed controls in heart-healthy behaviors and fasting glucose, but the hybrid group showed greater gains in dietary behavior and intrinsic motivation.
- Sleep is emerging as an underappreciated variable in cardiometabolic risk. A January 2026 population-based study published in the Journal of Global Health found that long sleep duration and sleep disorders were associated with significantly higher all-cause mortality, with the greatest risk among people with prediabetes and diabetes. The authors highlight the potential role of routine sleep assessment in cardiometabolic risk stratification, particularly for patients with prediabetes and diabetes.
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Before you go… - Do you know a Blue Zones Health provider who’s doing great work? Let us know! Click here to nominate them as a featured provider!
- Have an announcement to share with the Blue Zones Health provider community? Tell us about it!
With cheer and good health, The Blue Zones Health team
| | | | Our mailing address is: 4368 Central Ave, Riverside, CA 92506 View in Browser
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