Adherence
Intensive combined lifestyle behavioral counseling (diet and physical activity) in adults with cardiovascular risk factors significantly improves intermediate health outcomes, including reducing total cholesterol, LDL, blood pressure, fasting glucose, diabetes incidence, and weight, with effects most robust at 12-24 months.
If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or pre-diabetes, intensive counseling focusing on both diet and exercise can significantly improve your numbers. The key is intensity: expect multiple contacts over several months (median 13 hours of contact). While the average drop in blood pressure or cholesterol might seem small on paper, these consistent improvements add up to a meaningful reduction in your long-term risk of heart disease and diabetes. Combined lifestyle changes are more effective than exercise alone.
Intensive diet and physical activity behavioral counseling in persons with risk factors for cardiovascular disease resulted in consistent improvements across various important intermediate health outcomes up to 2 years.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review of 74 randomized controlled trials with meta-analyses, though heterogeneity exists.
Source
Behavioral Counseling to Promote a Healthy Lifestyle in Persons With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Jennifer S Lin et al. · Annals of Internal Medicine · 2014
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