There is something truly gratifying about beginnings. The bigger the better! The beginning of a week is a good time to start something new. But the beginning of a month is even better! The beginning of a decade is great and many of us actually had the opportunity to start a new century! However, the new year presents an inflection point that all people celebrate. In fact, New Year resolutions are an international tradition. This year is no exception. Many of us have our list of goal set, others are still brainstorming. Wellness and health goals are, as expected, top of the list for most. In this post I hope to inspire you by focusing on some new findings in the research in Lifestyle Medicine.
Lifestyle Medicine, for those not familiar with the concept, prioritizes lifestyle changes not only for the prevention of disease but in the treatment and often the reversal of disease. It consists of a whole food and plant-based diet that is low in fat and refined sugars/carbs, stress management techniques such as yoga or meditation, exercise and psychosocial support. Basically eat well, move more, stress less, love and be loved.
I am sure that like me, you too have heard something similar to this in relation to wellness and perhaps disease prevention. However, I had not read any studies related to the treatment or reversal of disease. Intrigued by the concept, I attended the Lifestyle Medicine Summit in the fall of 2021 to learn more. Dr. Dean Ornish MD presented some of the latest research associated with Lifestyle Medicine related particularly to the reversal of diseases progression in prostate cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, auto immune diseases, high cholesterol, obesity, cellular aging and gene expression.
All conditions mentioned above share the same biological processes chronic inflammation and overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. All conditions present with changes in the immune function, microbiome and telomere length among others. Each of these mechanisms in turn is directly influenced by what we eat, how we respond to stress, how much we exercise and how much love and support we have. You will notice that often times people have several of these health concerns simultaneously (high cholesterol, hight blood pressure, type two diabetes, heart diseased etc. etc.). Not surprisingly, this explains why other countries population start dying like that of the U.S. after fast food is exported to them.
One large study in Europe showed that those who exercised half an hour a day, didn’t smoke and ate a healthy diet to maintain a healthy weight prevented 93% of type 2 diabetes, 81% of heart attacks, 50% of strokes and 36% of all cancers. Here is something a little closer to home. A study that looked at front line Doctors and nurses who were taking care of COVID patients, found that those on a plant-based diet were 73% less likely to develop COVID and those on a pescatarian diet were 59% less likely when compared to those who were on a high animal-protein diet such as Atkins, Paleo or Keto, who were four times more likely to develop moderate to severe illness. Lifestyle particularly our diet affects our immune function.
That is prevention, how about reversal or treatment? For prostate cancer one study out of the Bill Aronson Lab in UCLA saw that lifestyle changes inhibited 70% of tumor growth versus 9% on the control group. The more the lifestyle changed the more inhibited the tumor growth was.
In a different post I discussed the findings of meditation in the Telomeres and in brain function. The shortening of Telomeres is associated with premature death and aging. So, anything we can do to prevent Telomeres from getting shorter will help prevent dementia. The study on Lifestyle’s effect on Telomeres showed not just that it slowed the process (like meditation did) but the enzyme that repairs and lengthens them went up by 30%! In a 5 year period it was demonstrated that the Telomeres were longer, whereas, in the control group the Telomeres were shorter.
This was the first time that a study showed Telomeres getting longer over time! This study confirmed, for the first time, that positive Lifestyle changes can reverse aging on a cellular level. Regarding dementia, Telomeres lengthening was shown in something as simple as eating five or more fruits and vegetables a day thus reducing the risk of cognitive impairment by almost half. And, if you are 65 or older and eat a lot of vegetables it was reduced by 38%. It turns out that what is good for the heart is good for the brain.
A Lifestyle Medicine approach cuts at the heart of popular high protein diets like Atkins, paleo and ketogenic as they are all associated with a 30% increase in all causes of mortality and 51% higher cardiovascular mortality. You may lose weight, but, most importantly, arteries are severely clogged even as the weight goes down. As a general rule, we do eat too much sugar and refined carbs in a western diet. However, replacing this diet with animal protein is not the best idea. Replacing them with Whole Foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains is optimal!
Mutual of Omaha Health Insurance demonstrated that Lifestyle Medicine was so effective that the insurance company saved almost 30k per patient when those same patients changed their lifestyles. Meaning, in fact, it helped patients from having to undergo stent or bypass surgery. A second study done by Blue Cross Blue Shield showed similar findings resulting in the Lifestyle Medicine protocol to be covered by the insurance carriers. The program includes a meditation teacher, an exercise physiologist, a psychologist, a doctor, a nurse and a dietician. In addition, it simply teaches people the tools of how to eat. People attend 4 hour sessions twice a week for nine weeks and have access to exercise and meditation support groups and a lecture with a group meal. But there is another issue that is plaguing all of us. A pandemic of loneliness. A study by David Spiegel found that women with metastatic breast cancer doubled their survival rate when they attended a support group once a week for a year. Put simply, these women lived longer because they found a safe place to connect and be healthy.
The principles of Lifestyle Medicine are not complicated. Perhaps, these concepts may appear overwhelming when taken all at once. But, in small steps Lifestyle Medicine, can have a real impact on your health. I am not suggesting that you have to become Vegan. But by adding a few more vegetables to your meals or limiting your red meat intake to 2-3 times a week you can make a difference. Learning stress management techniques like breathing, meditation or journaling can make those cortisol levels reduce and getting a few more steps in on your pedometer will help your brain retain its youth. Add some quality time with like-minded individuals for some moral support and you well be well on your way out of illness and into wellness. Every journey starts with one small step. Make yours.