title: Soldier Health Habits and the Metabolically Optimized Brain.
abstract: Human performance enhancement was the subject of a NATO workshop that considered the direct benefits of individual soldier health and fitness habits to brain health and performance. Some of the important health and fitness include physical activity and purposeful exercise, nutritional intake, sleep and rest behaviors, psychological outlook and mindfulness, and other physiologically based systemic challenges such as thermal exposure. These influences were considered in an integrated framework with insights contributed by each of five participating NATO member countries using representative research to highlight relevant interrelationships. Key conclusions are that (1) understanding the neurobiological bases and consequences of personal health behaviors is a priority for soldier performance research, and this also involves long-term brain health consequences to veterans and (2) health and fitness habits have been underappreciated as reliably effective performance enhancers and these should be preferred targets in the development of scientifically based recommendations for soldier brain health and performance.
authors.affiliation: Oak Ridge Research Institute for Science and Education, Knowledge Preservation Program, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760.
authors.forename: Karl E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Friedl
authors.affiliation: Skaregata 3, 6002 Ålesund, Norway Ålesund, Norway.
authors.forename: Torbjorn J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Breivik
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, 3698 Chambers Road, San Antonio, TX 78234.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Military Ergonomics and Exercise Physiology, Central Institute of the Bundeswehr Medical Service, Andernacher Strasse 100, D-56070 Koblenz, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leyk
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, N-2007 Kjeller, Norway.
authors.forename: Per Kristian
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Opstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Royal Military Academy, Renaissancelaan 30, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taverniers
authors.affiliation: Unite de Neurophysiologie du Stress, Departement Neurosciences et Contraintes Operationelles, Institute de Recherché Biomedicale des Armees, 91223 Bretigny-sur-Orge Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trousselard
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003697:Delphi Technique; D006184:Habits; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008660:Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis