This review provides the reader with the up-to-date evidence-based basis for prescribing exercise as medicine in the treatment of 26 different diseases: psychiatric diseases (depression, anxiety, stress, schizophrenia); neurological diseases (dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis); metabolic diseases (obesity, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes); cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, cerebral apoplexy, and claudication intermittent); pulmonary diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis); musculo-skeletal disorders (osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis); and cancer. The effect of exercise therapy on disease pathogenesis and symptoms are given and the possible mechanisms of action are discussed. We have interpreted the scientific literature and for each disease, we provide the reader with our best advice regarding the optimal type and dose for prescription of exercise.

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Exercise as medicine – evidence for prescribing exercise as therapy in 26 different chronic diseases

Most common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits, but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P < 0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways.

Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height

This document presents guidelines for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by dietary and other lifestyle practices. Since the previous publication of these guidelines by the American Heart Association,1 the overall approach has been modified to emphasize their relation to specific goals that the AHA considers of greatest importance for lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. The revised guidelines place increased emphasis on foods and an overall eating pattern and the need for all Americans to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight (Table⇓).

View this table:

 Table 1. 
Summary of Dietary Guidelines



The major guidelines are designed for the general population and collectively replace the “Step 1” designation used for earlier AHA population-wide dietary recommendations. More individualized approaches involving medical nutrition therapy for specific subgroups (for example, those with lipid disorders, diabetes, and preexisting cardiovascular disease) replace the previous “Step 2” diet for higher-risk individuals.

The major emphasis for weight management should be on avoidance of excess total energy intake and a regular pattern of physical activity. Fat intake of ≤30% of total energy is recommended to assist in limiting consumption of total energy as well as saturated fat. The guidelines continue to advocate a population-wide limitation of dietary saturated fat to <10% of energy and cholesterol to <300 mg/d. Specific intakes for individuals should be based on cholesterol and lipoprotein levels and the presence of existing heart disease, diabetes, and other risk factors. Because of increased evidence for the cardiovascular benefits of fish (particularly fatty fish), consumption of at least 2 fish servings per week is now recommended. Finally, recent studies support a major benefit on blood pressure of consuming vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products, as well as limiting salt intake (<6 grams per day) and alcohol (no more than 2 drinks per day for men and …

AHA Dietary Guidelines Revision 2000: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association

Suboptimal nutrition is a leading cause of poor health. Nutrition and policy science have advanced rapidly, creating confusion yet also providing powerful opportunities to reduce the adverse health and economic impacts of poor diets. This review considers the history, new evidence, controversies, and corresponding lessons for modern dietary and policy priorities for cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. Major identified themes include the importance of evaluating the full diversity of diet-related risk pathways, not only blood lipids or obesity; focusing on foods and overall diet patterns, rather than single isolated nutrients; recognizing the complex influences of different foods on long-term weight regulation, rather than simply counting calories; and characterizing and implementing evidence-based strategies, including policy approaches, for lifestyle change. Evidence-informed dietary priorities include increased fruits, nonstarchy vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, vegetable oils, yogurt, and minimally processed whole grains; and fewer red meats, processed (eg, sodium-preserved) meats, and foods rich in refined grains, starch, added sugars, salt, and trans fat. More investigation is needed on the cardiometabolic effects of phenolics, dairy fat, probiotics, fermentation, coffee, tea, cocoa, eggs, specific vegetable and tropical oils, vitamin D, individual fatty acids, and diet-microbiome interactions. Little evidence to date supports the cardiometabolic relevance of other popular priorities: eg, local, organic, grass-fed, farmed/wild, or non-genetically modified. Evidence-based personalized nutrition appears to depend more on nongenetic characteristics (eg, physical activity, abdominal adiposity, gender, socioeconomic status, culture) than genetic factors. Food choices must be strongly supported by clinical behavior change efforts, health systems reforms, novel technologies, and robust policy strategies targeting economic incentives, schools and workplaces, neighborhood environments, and the food system. Scientific advances provide crucial new insights on optimal targets and best practices to reduce the burdens of diet-related cardiometabolic diseases.

Dietary and Policy Priorities for Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Obesity: A Comprehensive Review

The Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) measures adherence to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but the association between the HEI-2005 and risk of chronic disease is not known. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), which is based on foods and nutrients predictive of chronic disease risk, was associated inversely with chronic disease risk previously. We updated the AHEI, including additional dietary factors involved in the development of chronic disease, and assessed the associations between the AHEI-2010 and the HEI-2005 and risk of major chronic disease prospectively among 71,495 women from the Nurses' Health Study and 41,029 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were free of chronic disease at baseline. During ≥24 y of follow-up, we documented 26,759 and 15,558 incident chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, or nontrauma death) among women and men, respectively. The RR (95% CI) of chronic disease comparing the highest with the lowest quintile was 0.84 (0.81, 0.87) for the HEI-2005 and 0.81 (0.77, 0.85) for the AHEI-2010. The AHEI-2010 and HEI-2005 were most strongly associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes, and for both outcomes the AHEI-2010 was more strongly associated with risk than the HEI-2005 (P-difference = 0.002 and <0.001, respectively). The 2 indices were similarly associated with risk of stroke and cancer. These findings suggest that closer adherence to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines may lower risk of major chronic disease. However, the AHEI-2010, which included additional dietary information, was more strongly associated with chronic disease risk, particularly CHD and diabetes.

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Alternative Dietary Indices Both Strongly Predict Risk of Chronic Disease

METHOD : The authors compared recalled weight at age 18 and self-reported current height among 118 participants in the Nurses' Health Study II cohort, aged 25-42 years in 1989, with records from physical examinations conducted at college or nursing school entrance. RESULTS : The correlation between recalled and measured past weight was 0.87 and between reported current height and measured past height was 0.94. Mean body mass index (BMI) values were 21.6 kg/m 2 for BMI calculated using recalled weight and 22.1 kg/m 2 using weight from medical records ; the correlation was 0.84. Participants slightly under-reported weight at age 18 (mean difference = 1.4 kg). CONCLUSION : The validity of recalled weight at 18 years of age and self-reported height as an estimate of height at age 18 appears to be high among women in this cohort.

The validity of recalled weight among younger women.

Background. Recent evidence suggests potential associations between birthweight and infant feeding history and risk of a variety of health outcomes during adulthood. Because studies may rely on self-reported birthweight and infant feeding history, it is important to assess the validity of this information. Methods. The authors compared birthweights reported by a sample of 538 women, 27-44 years of age, participating in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII) cohort, with birthweights recalled by their mothers and with those from state birth records. In addition, we compared participants' self-reported history of having been breastfed with their breastfeeding history reported by their mothers. Results. For birthweight, the correlation between reports by the cohort participants and by their mothers was high (Spearman r = 0.75). Compared with weights recorded on state birth records, correlations were 0.74 for reports by cohort participants and 0.85 for reports by their mothers. When comparing NHSII participants' self-report of ever having been breastfed with their mothers' report, sensitivity was 82% and specificity was 86%. For duration of breastfeeding, the Spearman correlation between mother and daughter reports was 0.74. In analyses stratified by four ethnic groups (African-American, Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic) we observed substantial differences in distribution of birthweight and breastfeeding patterns ; however, the degree of validity in reporting them was similar. Conclusion. The validity of self-reported birthweight and breastfeeding history by these middle-aged women appears to be high.

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Self-Reported Birthweight and History of Having Been Breastfed among Younger Women: An Assessment of Validity

The sixth edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) was released in January 2005, with revised healthy eating recommendations for all adult Americans. We developed the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Adherence Index (DGAI) as a measure of adherence to the key dietary intake recommendations. Eleven index items assess adherence to energy-specific food intake recommendations, and 9 items assess adherence to "healthy choice" nutrient intake recommendations. Each item was scored from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 1, depending on the degree of adherence to the recommendation. A score of 0.5 was given for partial adherence on most items or for exceeding the recommendation for energy-dense food items. The DGAI was applied to dietary data collected at the fifth examination of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. The mean DGAI score was 9.6 (range 2.5-17.50). Those with higher DGAI scores were more likely to be women, older, multivitamin supplement users, and have a lower BMI and less likely to be smokers. The DGAI demonstrated a reasonable variation in this population of adult Americans, and by design this index was independent of energy consumption. The DGAI also demonstrated face validity based on the observed associations of the index with participant characteristics. Given these attributes, this index should provide a useful measure of diet quality and adherence to the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Adherence Index: Development and Application

http://wealthandhealth.ltd.uk/articles/Whole-%20and%20refined-grain%20intakes%20are%20differentially%20associated%20with.pdf

Whole- and refined-grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: the Framingham Heart Study

Background: One third of Americans are obese, according to the 1988-1991 National Health and Nutrition Endpoint Survey III survey. Obesity increases the risk of death and a variety of chronic diseases. Numerous commercial weight loss programs demonstrate short-term success. Objective: To assess maintenance of weight loss achieved during dieting. Methods: We surveyed 192 participants in the Sandoz Nutrition (Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Minneapolis, Minn) diet program approximately 3 years after participation. Initial data were supplied by the diet clinics and follow-up data, including weight at various points after the program, participation in other weight loss programs, and life-style variables, such as exercise, smoking, and television watching, were collected by a mailed questionnaire. Results: On average, the group lost 22 kg during the diet program. After the follow-up period, the mean weight (mean, 102.6 kg) was only modestly less than the group's original weight at the start of the diet (mean, 105.9 kg). Twelve percent of the subjects maintained 75% of their weight loss after leaving the diet program, 57% maintained at least 5% of the loss, and 40% gained back more than they had lost during the diet. The frequency of exercise after the diet program was the strongest predictor of weight loss maintenance, while television viewing predicted a gain in weight. Conclusion: Given the apparent lack of substantial, long-term success at weight reduction, perhaps greater emphasis should be placed on prevention of obesity. (Arch Intern Med. 1996;156:1302-1306)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/INTEMED/articlepdf/622054/archinte_156_12_009.pdf

Lisa M. Troy

Papers

The validity of recalled weight among younger women.

Self-Reported Birthweight and History of Having Been Breastfed among Younger Women: An Assessment of Validity

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Adherence Index: Development and Application

Whole- and refined-grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: the Framingham Heart Study

Three-Year Follow-up of Participants in a Commercial Weight Loss Program: Can You Keep It Off?