Long-term "Food Is Medicine" program improves cardiometabolic health in adults

Providing people with nutritious foods can improve the management of chronic metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. However, most studies of "Food Is Medicine" programs have only looked at their short-term impacts - on the scale of weeks to months. A new study led by Mass General Brigham researchers shows that a longer duration Food Is Medicine program through the Mass General Brigham Revere Community Health Center's Food Pantry was associated with dose-dependent improvements in cardiometabolic health in adults. They found that patients who received weekly plant-based grocery packages for an average of 2.7 years showed dose-dependent reductions in diastolic blood pressure, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Results are published in Preventing Chronic Disease.

The study is closely tied to a longstanding collaboration between Mass General Brigham Revere Community Health Center and the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), which has provided nearly 379,000 pounds of food to MGB Revere this year alone.

Participants who received more food packages showed larger improvements. On average, it was estimated that every 100 food packages received was associated with a 3.21 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure, a 2.6 kg reduction in weight, and a 1.04 kg/m² reduction in BMI. Among participants with elevated blood pressure at baseline, the program was also associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure. However, there were no significant improvements in hemoglobin A1c (a marker of insulin resistance and diabetes) across participants.

Jacob Mirsky, MD, MA, first author, primary care physician at Mass General Brigham Revere Community Health Center and medical director for the Food PantryThis paper has the potential to change the conversation about Food Is Medicine interventions. We are boldly advocating for high potency interventions that focus on frequent, high quality, high quantity food packages over long periods of time so that patients have the greatest chance of benefiting."

Source:

Mass General Brigham

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