[ad_1]
The majority of Americans are stressed, sleep deprived, and overweight, and suffer from largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Overweight or obesity contributes to 50% of adults who have high blood pressure, 10% of diabetes and an additional 35% of pre-diabetes. And the costs are unaffordable and increasing. About 90% of the nearly $ 4 trillion Americans spend on health care in the United States each year is for chronic illness and mental health issues. But there are new, free lifestyle “drugs” that doctors could prescribe for all of their patients.
Lifestyle medicine is the clinical application of healthy behaviors to prevent, treat and reverse disease. More than ever, research emphasizes that the “pills” that today’s doctors should prescribe to patients are the six areas of lifestyle medicine: whole-food plant-based nutrition, regular physical activity, sleep. restorative, stress management, reduction or elimination of addiction, and positive psychology and social connection.
We are a primary care preventive medicine physician and computational immunologist, both committed to applying cutting-edge research to inform the clinical practice of lifestyle medicine. Our conclusions and recommendations have just been published. We highlight the key points to remember for each of the areas below.
Complete plant-based diet
Diets high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in animal products and highly processed foods have been linked to the prevention of many diseases. These diets also improved health and even reversed common cardiovascular, metabolic, brain, hormonal, kidney and autoimmune diseases as well as 35% of all cancers.
We believe future research should include larger trials or new research methods focusing on diet quality. This would include more data on the micronutrient composition and protein sources of foods of plant origin compared to foods of animal origin – not just the proportion of fat, carbohydrate and protein. These trials should include children, because many disorders in adults are sown in infancy or in utero.
Regular physical activity
For decades, guidelines from general surgeons have emphasized that moderate to vigorous daily aerobic physical activity has both immediate and long-term health benefits. For example, the reason why we age and the rate at which we age – chronological age versus biological age – is determined by multiple molecular processes directly influenced by physical activity. And now scientists are gaining a better understanding of exercise-induced cellular and molecular changes to reduce disease risk.
Research priorities for scientists and physicians include gaining a deeper understanding of the type, intensity and frequency of activity, and better knowledge of the molecular and cellular alterations that occur with exercise.
Restorative sleep
Sleep helps cells, organs and the whole body to function better. Regular, uninterrupted sleep of seven hours a night for adults, eight to 10 hours for adolescents, and 10 hours or more for children is necessary for good health.
Although poorly studied, there is evidence that high-quality sleep can reduce inflammation, immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, and epigenetic modification of DNA, all of which are associated with or cause chronic disease.
Therefore, research into the biological mechanisms underlying the restorative properties of sleep could lead to environmental or population-based and policy approaches to better align our natural sleep patterns with the demands of daily living.
Stress management
While some stress is beneficial, prolonged or extreme stress can overwhelm the brain and body. Chronic stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel disease, obesity, depression, asthma, arthritis, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders and obesity.
One of the most powerful mechanisms for reducing stress and improving resilience is to elicit a relaxation response using mind-body therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy.
More research is needed to better understand how these therapies work.
Reduction and elimination of addiction
Many social, economic and environmental factors have fueled the national increase in drug addiction in general and, more tragically, the opioid epidemic.
Doctors and researchers are beginning to understand the underlying physiology and psychology of drug addiction.
Yet continued stigma and disjointed or absent access to services remains a challenge. Clinicians and scientists need to explore how to predict who is most vulnerable to addiction and find ways to prevent it. Treatment that integrates integrated care focused on all patient needs should be prioritized.
Positive psychology and social bond
Maintaining a positive state of mind through the practice of gratitude and forgiveness has a significant impact on psychological and subjective well-being, which are, in turn, associated with physical health benefits.
Social connectivity – the quantity and quality of our relationships – has perhaps the most powerful health benefits.
Conversely, social isolation – such as living alone, having a small social network, participating in little social activity, and feeling lonely – is associated with higher mortality, increased morbidity, and weaker immune system function. weak, depression and cognitive decline.
Further study is needed to find out how an individual’s biology and chemistry changes for the better through more social interactions.
The role of inflammation in lifestyle diseases
An unhealthy lifestyle produces a vicious cycle of inflammation. While inflammation is a healthy, natural way for the body to fight infection, injury, and stress, too much inflammation promotes or exacerbates the conditions described above.
The inflammatory response is complex. We use machine learning and computer modeling to understand, predict, treat, and reprogram inflammation – to retain the healing elements while minimizing the more chronic harmful elements. Scientists are discovering new mechanisms that explain how chronic stress can turn genes on and off.
Overcome challenges and obstacles
We and others who study lifestyle medicine are now discussing how we can take advantage of all of these approaches to improve clinical studies on the impacts of lifestyle interventions.
At the same time, we and our colleagues realize that there are environmental challenges and barriers that prevent many people from adopting these lifestyle solutions.
There are food deserts where healthier foods are not available or affordable. Dangerous neighborhoods, chemicals and harmful substances create constant stress. Lack of education, poverty, cultural beliefs, racial and ethnic disparities, and discrimination must be addressed so that all patients and patients appreciate and embrace the six “pills”.
The application of lifestyle drugs is especially important now because unhealthy lifestyles have caused a pandemic of preventable chronic diseases that is now worsening the COVID-19 pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting people with these conditions.
Ask your doctor to “prescribe” these six “pills” for a longer and better life. After all, they’re free, work better than or as good as drugs, and have no side effects!
[The Conversation’s science, health and technology editors pick their favorite stories. Weekly on Wednesdays.]
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Yoram Vodovotz, University of Pittsburgh and Michael Parkinson, University of Pittsburgh.
Read more:
Yoram Vodovotz is co-founder and stakeholder of Immunetrics, Inc.
Michael Parkinson, MD, MPH is the founder of P3 Health (Prevention, Performance and Productivity).
[ad_2]
Source link