Feasibility and Efficacy of a Three-Week Lifestyle Medicine Immersion for Cardiometabolic Markers and Body Composition: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Lifestyle medicine (LM) has emerged as an innovative approach aimed at preventing, managing, and reversing chronic diseases by addressing individual behaviors, environmental factors, and genetic predispositions. Despite longstanding global recommendations, the practical integration of LM interventions into mainstream healthcare remains challenging. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the impact of a comprehensive three-week lifestyle immersion program on body composition, cardiometabolic biomarkers in individuals with chronic diseases.

Twelve adult participants with chronic conditions voluntarily engaged in a structured LM immersion program, including whole-food, plant-based meals, daily cardiopulmonary exercise, yoga, stress management workshops, and educational lectures. Pre- and post-intervention assessments encompassed anthropometric measures, blood pressure, glycemic control markers, lipid profiles, liver and renal function, inflammatory markers, and heart rate variability.

Results demonstrated significant improvements in systolic blood pressure (mean decrease: 30 mmHg; p<0.01), body weight (5.08 kg; p<0.001), BMI (1.80 kg/m²; p<0.001), visceral adipose tissue (133.17 g; p<0.05), fasting glucose (0.58 mmol/L; p<0.01), hsCRP (2.93 mg/L; p<0.01), and LDL-P (179.25 nmol/L; p<0.05). While favorable trends were noted in additional biomarkers, statistical significance was limited due to the small sample size.

This short-term intervention demonstrated feasibility, tolerability, and rapid beneficial physiological adaptations. Larger, long-term trials are needed to validate and sustain these findings.