Research
Energy balance
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) through calorie balance and physical activity is critical for reducing CVD risk, with prevention of weight gain being more effective than weight loss.
Focus on maintaining a healthy weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) by balancing what you eat with how much you move. Preventing weight gain is easier and more effective than losing it later. If you smoke, quit; the risk of weight gain is not a valid reason to continue smoking.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
It is important to intensify efforts in the general population to help individuals avoid inappropriate weight gain during childhood and subsequent weight gain during adult years. Increased emphasis should be put on prevention of weight gain, because achievement and maintenance of weight loss... require more difficult behavioral changes... than prevention of weight gain in the first place.
Why this rating
Supported by extensive epidemiological data and AHA strategic plans.
Source
Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Revision 2006
Alice H. Lichtenstein et al. · Circulation · 2006
DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.106.176158
clinical_guidelineCited 2,714×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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