For Danna Raphael, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian and clinical nutritionist at HSS, one favorite treat is simple: a few Medjool dates topped with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips.

“It’s just the perfect gooey sweet treat,” Raphael said. “And there’s a lot of nutrition in there.”

The combination provides a balance of nutrients, including healthy fats and protein from peanut butter, beneficial plant compounds from dark chocolate, and fiber and potassium from dates.

Beyond dessert, Raphael says the snack can also double as a source of quick energy before exercise.

“It’s a great pre-workout snack,” she said.

Read the full article at washingtonpost.com.

In an article with Medscape, Heidi Prather, DO, Founder and Medical Director of the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program said, “When middle-aged women present with new joint pain, it is important to determine where they are in the menopausal transition” to guide appropriate education and management strategies. “Women may not offer the information without being asked, as they may be unaware of the links between hormone changes and soft tissue and joint pain.”

For some women, the chronic systemic inflammation associated with estrogen loss can be well managed with lifestyle and conventional medical interventions including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Dr. Prather explained. “For others, things can seem out of control, and usual care is not as effective.”

Dr. Prather pointed to the need for studies assessing “modifiable and nonmodifiable factors to best arm women with the information they need to manage and improve their health” across the menopause transition and beyond.

Read the full article at medscape.com.

In the latest episode of The Starting Gate podcast, Heidi Prather, DO, Sports Medicine and Hip Preservation Physiatrist at HSS and Founder and Medical Director of the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program, explores how lifestyle factors such as nutrition, sleep, stress, physical activity, and social connection can influence musculoskeletal pain, recovery, and even surgical outcomes. 

Listen to the full episode at The Starting Gate.

In an article published to Fortune, Jessica Starr, MD, endocrinologist at HSS, and Emily Stein, MD, MS, Co-Director of the Skeletal Health Orthopaedic Research Program at HSS, recommend that patients taking GLP-1 medications work closely with their physicians and incorporate exercise and strength training into their treatment plans to preserve long-term musculoskeletal health.

Read the full article at Fortune.com. A subscription is required to access.

She highlighted lifestyle medicine as an effective framework for addressing these interconnected challenges, shared outcomes from the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program – a standardized, interprofessional program designed to help people with musculoskeletal pain improve whole-person health, reduce pain, and enhance function through behavior change – and outlined what's next.

Watch the full webinar at Osteoarthritis Action Alliance YouTube Channel.

A recent study looked at the relationship between prolonged sitting and the risk of cancer and the risk of death from cancer. Researchers found that people who broke up their sitting with movement or exercise had a lower chance of cancer-related death.

“Obviously, we’re all tied to a computer or a car or something that keeps us inactive, but just interrupting that with any type of activity seems to have, per their data, some very impressive results. Not just cancer death, but even risk of developing cancer,” Dr. Prather added.

According to Dr. Prather, risk for certain cancers (such as breast, colorectal and prostate) is 60% genetic, but 40% of cancer risk is related to lifestyle factors, such as diet, sleep, stress, social connections, relationships, use of risky substances and, yes, exercise.

Read the full article at huffpost.com.

By the time many people think seriously about bone health, age-related bone loss is probably already happening. The foods and drinks you consume throughout life have a substantial impact on your future bone health – so it’s never too early to optimize your diet to support your skeleton.

Building and maintaining strong bones helps provide structural support for the body and reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures as you age, said Dr. Prather.

Read the full article at washingtonpost.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Whether you’re structuring your diet for longevity potential or trying to pre-fuel for your morning workout, hitting the right balance right is key.

“Your body craves consistency,” said Cohen. “Those of us who are consistent are usually more successful in sustaining a healthy diet. Erratic meal skipping rarely leads to weight loss, and has been shown to slow metabolism, throw off blood sugar, and lead to overeating later on.”

“The winning plan is the one you can follow consistently,” she continued, "a realistic and sustainable pattern of eating you can stick with most days.”

Read the full article at gq-magazine.co.uk. 

A recent study from HSS, published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, found that a lifestyle medicine program was highly effective for improving the health of and reducing risk factors for people preparing to undergo elective orthopedic surgeries.

The study enrolled 54 people, almost 90% of whom had two or more lifestyle-related chronic diseases and a mean BMI of 43.2, which the CDC considers class 3 or severe obesity. “There were two groups of patients sent to the lifestyle medicine program by their surgeons,” said physiatrist Heidi Prather, D.O., physiatrist and the founder and medical director of the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program and the lead author on the study. “One group implemented changes to improve health in time for a surgical date that had been set months in advance. The second group had significant health risks that needed to be mitigated before considering a surgical date.”

The intervention was a 13-week online program focused around the six pillars of health in lifestyle medicine, which includes eating mostly whole food, plant-based nutrition; engaging in physical activity; stress management; avoiding tobacco and alcohol; prioritizing restorative sleep; and making social connections.

“Patients received one-on-one services with team members and had options to attend group programing that focused on each of the six pillars of health,” explained Dr. Prather. “The services the patient received were dependent on their own specific goals and therefore no two programs were exactly alike.”

By the end of the program, nearly all the participants (96%) had successfully achieved their goals for improving health and reducing surgical risks; 78% reported decreases in weight and BMI, averaging 11 pounds and a BMI reduction of 1.8. Of the 41 people who had a surgery date set, 38 went on to have the surgery, while 11 of the 13 who were not able to schedule their surgery before completing the program went on to have their elective orthopedic surgery.

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

“This study is one of more to come from Australia. Movement experts in spine care have developed programs that include lifestyle changes in addition to movement interventions, and mental health care as a comprehensive care model to improve spine pain, function and self-care. These findings will impactfully drive future recommendations for the treatment of chronic low back pain,” explained Dr. Prather.

Read the full article at healio.com. 

The study looked at early outcomes for 54 patients who enrolled in the program between March 2022 and December 2023. About 90% of patients had two or more lifestyle-related chronic diseases.

The program supports patients having scheduled orthopedic surgery, and patients set personal goals to improve sleep, pain, function and overall health. The program focuses on "six pillars of lifestyle medicine."

Of the 54 patients, 41 of them had surgery scheduled, and 93% of them improved their health on time. Thirteen other patients were referred to the program to qualify for elective surgery, and 85% of them could proceed with it. Collectively, 91% of the entire group had surgery after enrolling in the program.

"We were surprised at how quickly patients could make lifestyle changes," said Dr. Prather. “Change is really hard, so the fact that our intensive program achieved such strong results is amazing. We anticipate that attaining these personal health goals will lead to improved post-surgical outcomes,” continued Dr. Prather. 

The findings were published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Read the full article at beckersspine.com. 

Imagine being one of the millions of Americans in need of a hip or knee replacement due to osteoarthritis. Severe pain, reduced physical activity, an inability to perform many routine tasks — the symptoms can be truly debilitating.

But if you're obese or overweight, there's a good chance that your orthopedic surgeon will refuse to provide care. As one patient told the New York Times of her doctor, "He told me to come back when I had lost 30 pounds."

She isn't alone. According to one survey, fewer than half of orthopedic surgeons will operate on patients with a body mass index above 40. Patients with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure face similar barriers to the surgeries they need.

All of these conditions share a common underlying cause: chronic systemic inflammation. Ironically, the very inflammation-driven "metabolic" condition that can get someone to the point of needing a joint replacement in the first place can be what compels their doctor to refuse to perform one.

Thankfully, some doctors are trying to change the status quo by using an approach called "lifestyle medicine." Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses evidence-based interventions in patient's behavioral choices to prevent, treat, and even reverse diseases driven by chronic systemic inflammation.

Read the full article at salon.com. 

Dr. Prather presented her proof-of-concept study in a poster at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine meeting.

Read the full article at healio.com.