Lifestyle Medicine: The Health Promoting Power of Daily Habits and Practices

Abstract

There is no longer any serious doubt that daily habits and actions profoundly affect both short-term and long-term health and quality of life. This concept is supported by literally thousands of research articles and incorporated in multiple evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and/or treatment of chronic metabolic diseases. The study of how habits and actions affect both prevention and treatment of diseases has coalesced around the concept of "lifestyle medicine." The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of many of the modalities fundamental to lifestyle medicine, including physical activity, proper nutrition, weight management, and cigarette smoking cessation. This review will also focus specifically on how these modalities are employed both in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. The review concludes with a Call to Action challenging the medical community to embrace the modalities of lifestyle medicine in the daily practice of medicine.

Have Lifestyle Habits and Psychological Well-Being Changed among Adolescents and Medical Students Due to COVID-19 Lockdown in Croatia?

“…Additionally, students with higher MD adherence had lesser perception of hardship during lockdown, shorter mobile phone use (negative correlation for both associations), and greater happiness and quality of life during lockdown (positive correlation). Those results could be used to argue for placing MD as a focal point of lifestyle medicine application, since it is well known that “nutrition plays a key role in lifestyle habits and practices that affect virtually every chronic disease” [ 56 ]. In short, a new and rapidly developing field of lifestyle medicine, which is possibly heading towards becoming a new specialty, can be defined as the medical field that uses “lifestyle therapeutic approaches” to prevent, treat, or modify non-communicable chronic diseases [ 57 ].…”

Association of the Functional Medicine Model of Care With Patient-Reported Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes

“…To date, the evidence to support the functional medicine model of care has been anecdotal, primarily published as case reports. 23,24 Peer-reviewed evidence for functional medicine is based on specific interventions used by the model, including nutrition, 25 lifestyle, 26 or medications and dietary supplements (monotherapy or polytherapy). 27 To our knowledge, this study is also the first systematic attempt to collect data from patients using validated measures to understand the association of HRQoL with the functional medicine model of care.…”

Lifestyle Medicine During (and After) the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In this context, lifestyle medicine (LM), the "evidence-based practice of helping individuals and families adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that affect health and quality of life," 9 is considered a cornerstone in health promotion, once it involves the underlying, lifestylerelated causes of the leading risk factors for mortality and morbidity worldwide. [10][11][12] In an effort to contribute to this challenging global situation, 13 we joined a group of LM researchers and/or practitioners to offer a brief overview on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on several LM facets, such as healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, risky substances use (tobacco and alcohol), stress management, and relationships. In addition, we provide scientifically sound information, recommendations, resources, and suggestions that may help health practitioners to support clients and patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle during (and after) the COVID-19 crisis.…”