Global health experts call for a paradigm shift in medicine, health, and education to address the escalating health crisis and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The HEAL (Healthy Eating & Active Living) approach, emphasizing whole-food, plant-predominant diets and daily exercise, is proposed as a minimum, first-line standard in health and care.
The HEAL approach combines healthy eating with active living, offering synergistic benefits that reduce the reliance on drugs and surgery while improving health system resilience and sustainability. The experts recommend a 3:1 focus on prevention, health maintenance, and promotion over treatment, making healthy choices the easy, first-line intervention.
Education and workforce development are crucial, with HEAL embedded from primary to tertiary education. Healthcare and education professionals should be continuously upskilled to deliver evidence-based lifestyle counseling, routine assessment, and monitoring. Meal standards and active mobility support in schools and public spaces need improvement.
The transition to non-animal, human-relevant methods in basic and preclinical research, as well as efficacy, safety, and toxicity testing, is essential. This shift will end animal experiments in research, education, and regulatory testing, with funding priorities, validation, and regulatory adoption.
The HEAL approach should be applied through Health in All Policies (HiAP), investing in supportive defaults like healthy public catering, active transport, and community HEAL programs. Outcomes should be tracked with robust evaluation to scale successful initiatives.
The experts emphasize the cost-effectiveness of evidence-based prevention, saving multiples in treatment costs. They advocate for lifestyle education in medical schools, recognizing the importance of lifestyle in modern medicine. Plant-forward diets are highlighted for their benefits to human health, farmed animals, and the environment.
The call for a paradigm shift in medicine, health, and education is urgent, as rising health spending and scientific advances have not translated into improved public health gains. The HEAL approach offers a comprehensive solution, addressing individual behavior, population-level change, and systemic supports.
Key actions include making HEAL the universal starting point, implementing lifestyle-first counseling, prioritizing prevention, mandating lifestyle education in schools, upskilling professionals, and accelerating the adoption of human-relevant methods to end animal experiments. The experts believe that this shift will lead to a healthier, more sustainable future for all.
