A personalized physical activity program, combined with promoting the Mediterranean diet and healthy lifestyle habits, can significantly improve several health indicators within six months. This finding comes from a study published in Nutrients, conducted as part of the HEBE project (Healthy aging versus inflamm-aging: the role of physical Exercise in modulating the Biomarkers of age-associated and Environmentally determined chronic diseases).
The project was carried out by the University of Milan through the University’s Grand Challenges program and is devoted to studying the determinants of healthy aging.
The HEBE Project
The research involved 100 employees of the University of Milan, evaluating the effects of an intervention based on personalized exercise prescription, the adoption of the Mediterranean diet, and support for lifestyle change.
At the end of the intervention, researchers observed an improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂max), body composition, with reductions in fat mass and waist circumference, maintenance of muscle mass, enhanced physical function, and a decrease in sedentary behavior.
Additionally, more than 80% of participants reported an improvement in their overall well-being.
According to the authors, the results show that a model based on personalized exercise prescription, coupled with the promotion of the Mediterranean diet and healthy lifestyles, can produce tangible benefits even in the absence of supervised training. An approach that could be readily translated into clinical practice and preventive medicine.
The Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC) at the University of Milan played a central role in developing the project. Members of the Core Executive Team include, among others, Professors Elia Biganzoli, Valentina Bollati and Chiara Mandò, who coordinate HEBE together with the other scientific leads.
Study
Lucini D, Rota F, Marano G, et al. Main Outcomes of the HEBE Trial: Improving Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Body Composition Through a Tailored Feasible Lifestyle Program. Nutrients. 2026;18(12):1918.
Abbonati a Karla Miller
