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Review
. 2023 Dec 6;18(4):497-511.
doi: 10.1177/15598276231212825. eCollection 2024 Jul-Aug.

The Academic Basis of Lifestyle Medicine

James M Rippe  1
Affiliations
Review

The Academic Basis of Lifestyle Medicine

James M Rippe. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

There is no longer any serious doubt that daily habits and actions profoundly impact on both short- and long-term health and quality of life. An overwhelming body of scientific and medical literature supports this contention. Thousands of studies support the concept that regular physical activity, healthy nutrition and maintaining a healthy body weight, not smoking cigarettes, obtaining healthy sleep, reducing stress and maintaining positive connections with other individuals all profoundly impact on health. The scientific literature the supports the health impact of these daily habits and actions is underscored by its incorporation into virtually every evidence-based clinical guideline in the area of metabolic diseases. Thus, the scientific basis for lifestyle medicine rests on an enormous body of evidence-based literature. The key issue in lifestyle medicine is to provide an overall framework where these studies, which are often spread over scientific literature in multiple disciplines, can be made accessible to the medical community and to the public at large. This is the essence of the field of lifestyle medicine. The academic basis of lifestyle medicine is robust and needs to be emphasized by all practitioners of lifestyle medicine. This is the key to moving this field forward into the future.

Keywords: healthy body weight; lifestyle medicine evidence; nutrition and health; physical activity and health; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
From the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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