New expert consensus statement affirms lifestyle interventions for the treatment and prevention of major depressive disorder

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine has published a new expert consensus statement affirming evidence-based lifestyle interventions as foundational, primary, and adjunctive treatments for major depressive disorder, offering timely guidance to improve mental health care amid rising depression rates.

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has published a new expert consensus statement outlining the important role of lifestyle interventions in the treatment and prevention of major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most common mental health conditions worldwide. The statement was published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

"Lifestyle Interventions for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): An Expert Consensus Statement from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine," synthesizes agreement from 12 experts in the fields of psychiatry, primary care, cardiology, behavioral health, obstetrics and lifestyle medicine. The panel reviewed extensive evidence and reached consensus on 71 statements addressing assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of MDD in adults.

The consensus statement affirms that lifestyle interventions—optimal nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, connectedness, and avoidance of risky substances—are integral components of MDD care. Experts agreed that physical activity can be used as a primary therapy for adults with mild MDD and that lifestyle interventions more broadly can serve as foundational and adjunctive treatments alongside psychotherapy and pharmacologic care.

"Despite a growing evidence base, lifestyle interventions remain underutilized in mental health care," said Gia Merlo, MD, MBA, MEd, DipABLM, FACLM, clinical professor of psychiatry in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and lead author of the publication. "This consensus statement provides clinicians with clarity on where experts agree and highlights practical opportunities to improve outcomes using evidence-based lifestyle approaches."

The panel also reached strong consensus on the importance of assessing baseline lifestyle habits, identifying social and psychological barriers—including trauma and social drivers of health—and tailoring interventions to individual readiness, access, and support systems. Nutrition-related statements emphasized the benefits of whole-food, plant-predominant dietary patterns, while cautioning against ketogenic and very low-carbohydrate diets due to insufficient evidence and known health risks.

The statement is intended to inform best practices, guide quality improvement, and identify priorities for future research. The publication is timely as depression is the leading health cause of disability worldwide, with more than 300 million individuals affected, according to the World Health Organization. The number of people with MDD increased by 18% from 2005 to 2015.

"Only half of patients with major depressive disorder achieve remission with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, while others improve only partially or not at all," said Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, DrMedSc, DipABLM, one of the co-authors, a professor of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, and a past president of the American Psychiatric Association. "The addition of lifestyle interventions has a significant role to play in enhancing treatment outcomes and quality of life."

About ACLM® 
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the nation's medical professional society advancing the field of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a redesigned, value-based and equitable healthcare delivery system, essential to achieving the Quintuple Aim and whole-person health. ACLM represents, advocates for, trains, certifies, and equips its members to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease by optimizing modifiable risk factors. ACLM is filling the gaping void of lifestyle medicine in medical education, providing more than 1.2 million hours of lifestyle medicine education to physicians and other health professionals since 2004, while also advancing research, clinical practice and reimbursement strategies.

SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine