Lifestyle Medicine in Practice: Nutrition as a Primary Means of Treatment

Abstract

ObjectivesOur objective was to describe characteristics of lifestyle medicine (LM) clinicians, use of nutrition in practice, and reported patient outcomes following LM interventions. MethodsThis analysis used data from a closed survey administered to N = 3182 members of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in the summer of 2019. A total of n = 1,286 respondents began the survey, and the sample of interest for this analysis (n = 612) was restricted to those > 18 yrs, self-identifying as a healthcare practitioner, completing the survey within the US, and indicating that they had observed or supervised patients following LM interventions or lifestyle modifications. ResultsThe sample of interest was 66% female and mean age (SD) was 51 (12). A total of 63% were MDs or DOs. Specialties were as follows: 26% family medicine, 20% internal medicine, 28% other, and 24% not boarded by an ABMS board. Only 24% were certified in LM, but 89% were practicing LM for some or all of their practice. Pillars of LM reported as being regularly incorporated into practice included: nutrition (95%), physical activity (91%), stress reduction (76%), healthy sleep (76%), social support (62%), and avoidance of addictive substances (58%). Total counts of clinicians who reported patient improvements using LM were as follows: weight loss (479), blood glucose (464), blood lipids (437), blood pressure (488), angina (116), atherosclerosis (77), autoimmune symptoms (214), chronic pain (300), and quality of life (497). Total counts of clinicians who reported reduction or discontinuation of medications following LM use were as follows: blood glucose (365), insulin (292), statins (320), high blood pressure (384), and autoimmune (124). ConclusionsResults of this survey provide proof of concept that (1) nutrition is the top-used modality among LM clinicians for treatment, and (2) health improvements and medication reductions following lifestyle interventions are feasible and are not limited to a few, individual practitioners. Further research on nutrition-based LM approaches, including calculation of effect sizes, rigorous randomized trials to test effectiveness of recommended lifestyle modifications, and large-scale cohort studies tracking LM patient populations are needed. Funding SourcesAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine.