Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Insights into Cardiometabolic Diseases with Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Microvasculature Studies
Published on: April 5, 2024
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine in Managing Noncommunicable Diseases - The Gaps in Current Guidelines
Rafaella Rogatto de Faria1,2, Sergio Freitas de Siqueira1,3, Francisco Aguerre Haddad1,4
1Cultivare Prevenção e Promoção da Saúde - Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, São Paulo, SP - Brasil.
Background:
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases that are long-lasting, are considered the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and the six pillars of lifestyle medicine (nutrition, exercise, toxic control, stress management, restorative sleep, and social connection) play an important role in a holistic management of their prevention and treatment. In addition, medical guidelines are the most accepted documents with recommendations to manage NCDs.
Objective:
The present study aims to analyze the lack of lifestyle pillars concerning the major Brazilian medical guidelines for NCDs and identify evidence in the literature that could justify their inclusion in the documents.
Method:
Brazilian guidelines were selected according to the most relevant causes of death in Brazil, given by the Mortality Information System, published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health in 2019. Journals were screened in the PUBMED library according to the disease and non-mentioned pillars of lifestyle.
Results:
Relevant causes of deaths in Brazil are acute myocardial infarction (AMI), diabetes mellitus (DM), and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Six guidelines related to these NCDs were identified, and all address aspects of lifestyle, but only one, regarding cardiovascular prevention, highlights all six pillars. Despite this, a literature search involving over 50 articles showed that there is evidence that all the pillars can help control each of these NCDs.
Conclusion:
Rarely are the six pillars of lifestyle contemplated in Brazilian guidelines for AMI, DM, and COPD. The literature review identified evidence of all lifestyle pillars to offer a holistic approach for the management and prevention of NCDs.
More Related Videos
03:25Author Spotlight: Exploring Non-Pharmacological Therapies for Chronic Respiratory Diseases — Linking Intestinal Microbiome Insights to COPD Treatment
Published on: December 27, 2024
05:59Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Lifestyle Factors and Health
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV