The Textbook of Lifestyle Medicine provides the practical tools necessary to address growing public health crises such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease using a holistic approach to physical, mental, and spiritual wellness. Incorporating the latest evidence-based research on the relation between lifestyle factors and disease, this unique textbook supplies the foundational knowledge necessary for students and scientists across disciplines to better understand this new area of research and practice. 

The book offers comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the ways lifestyle medicine professionals are working to slow or prevent ‘Lifestyle Diseases’. Clear and accessible chapters explore modifiable lifestyle factors that positively affect health—nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress control, and social support—and highlight the negative impact of smoking, alcohol abuse, and other unhealthy lifestyles. Topics include sleep physiology, the genetic background and development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the characteristics and principles of healthy lifestyle, the clinical significance of physical activity, and the mechanisms connecting social interaction and health implications. This important resource: 

• Discusses the global burden and risk factors of the modern disease epidemic 
• Includes a clinical practice section and appendices on public health tools and recommendations 
• Covers a variety of nutritional approaches including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet 
• Features in-depth coverage of the food components and positive health effects of the Mediterranean Lifestyle 
• Contains color artwork and numerous references, citations, internet links, and further reading suggestions 

Written by two recognized experts in this growing field, the Textbook of Lifestyle Medicine is a must-have volume for both students and practitioners in nutrition, exercise physiology, psychology, addiction therapy, sleep therapy, as well as physicians, nurses, and other health professionals wanting to expand their knowledge and practice.  

Labros S. Sidossis, PhD, FTOS, FNAK, FAHA, FACSM, Distinguished Professor and Chairperson, Department of Kinesiology and Health; Professor, Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Director,Wellness and Lifestyle Science Initiative; Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.

Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Professor & Director, Occupational Medicine Residency, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health; Division Chief, Occupational Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

About The Authors viii

Preface ix

Abbreviation List xi

Unit I Lifestyle Choices and Human Health

1 Basic Concepts: Health, Wellness, and Lifestyle 3

2 The Lifestyle Disease Epidemic: Global Burden and Risk Factors 7

3 Components of an Unhealthy Lifestyle 14

4 Characteristics and Principles of a Healthy Lifestyle 28

Unit II Healthy Diets

5 Progression from Nutrients to Dietary Patterns 35

6 Popular Dietary Patterns Around the World 40

7 The Mediterranean Diet: A Dietary Pattern That Has Stood the Test of Time 55

Unit III From Mediterranean Diet to Mediterranean Lifestyle

8 The Mediterranean Lifestyle Paradigm 77

9 Physical Activity in the Mediterranean Region 85

10 The Need for Sleep and Its Effect on Health 104

11 Social Life, Spirituality, and Stress Management 115

Unit IV Mediterranean Lifestyle in Clinical Practice

12 Use of the Mediterranean Lifestyle Paradigm in the Prevention and Treatment of the Metabolic Syndrome 125

13 Obesity Case Study 130

14 Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Case Study 154

15 Hypertension Case Study 169

16 Dyslipidemia Case Study 185

Appendix A Answers to Self-Assessment Questions 202

Appendix B Dietary Models and One-Day Sample Meal Plans 213

Appendix C Food Components of the Mediterranean Diet 231

Appendix D Assessment Tools for the Various Lifestyle Components 242

Glossary 262

Index 265