New guideline puts lifestyle interventions at the forefront of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes care

New ACLM Guideline Prioritizes Lifestyle Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes Care

On June 10, 2025, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine released its first clinical practice guideline explicitly placing lifestyle behavior interventions at the center of adult type 2 diabetes and prediabetes management. Published in the *American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine*, this guideline offers practical tools and frameworks for lasting behavior change.

Key Highlights:

  • Six Core Pillars: The guideline emphasizes plant-based nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoidance of harmful substances (tobacco and alcohol).
  • Actionable Strategies: Clinicians are guided to assess baseline habits, coach using SMART goals, evaluate readiness for change, and support medication de-escalation when lifestyle change is effective.
  • Broad Endorsements: Backed by major organizations—including AACE, AANP, AND, and ADCES—the guideline shifts lifestyle from adjunctive advice to primary therapy.
  • Goal of Remission: Emphasizes achieving not just management but remission of type 2 diabetes—defined as normoglycemia without glucose-lowering therapy.
  • Practical Tools Included: Includes over 25 clinician and patient handouts, workflows, and behavior-change aids to support implementation in real-world care settings.

This guideline marks a paradigm shift—transforming lifestyle from secondary support into the main therapeutic approach for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, while complementing existing pharmacologic and procedural strategies.

Source: American College of Lifestyle Medicine clinical guideline, June 10, 2025.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes, lifestyle medicine, diabetes remission, SMART goals, plant‑based nutrition

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