What is lifestyle medicine?
Lifestyle medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on the prevention and management of chronic diseases through lifestyle interventions, such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and social support. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer account for 71% of all deaths worldwide. The good news is that these diseases are largely preventable, and lifestyle medicine provides evidence-based strategies for their prevention and management. Recent trends in lifestyle medicine have shown promising results in achieving behavior change in chronic disease patients. Patients who take an active role in their health, by engaging in healthy behaviors, like diet, exercise, and mediation, are more likely to achieve their desired outcomes. For instance, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a comprehensive lifestyle change program that focused on improving diet, exercise, and stress management significantly reduced the risk of heart disease among high-risk patients. The study demonstrated that patients who followed the lifestyle intervention program had a 90% reduction in angina symptoms, a significant decrease in medication use, and a 37% reduction in the rate of cardiac events. Another study published in the Lancet found that a similar lifestyle intervention program that focused on diet and exercise was effective in improving glycemic control and reducing medication use in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study demonstrated that patients who followed the program had a 1.3% reduction in HbA1c levels, which is equivalent to the effect