Food Is Medicine Programs Show Promise in Improving Health Outcomes, More Research Needed

The American Heart Association's recent systematic review of Food Is Medicine (FIM) programs reveals promising results in improving diet quality and food security for individuals with or at high risk for chronic diseases. However, the review also identifies significant gaps in research, underscoring the need for more comprehensive studies to evaluate the clinical outcomes of these interventions.

FIM programs, which include initiatives like produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals, aim to integrate healthy food into healthcare settings to prevent and manage diet-related chronic conditions. The review of 14 randomized controlled trials found that while these programs can improve diet quality and food security, their effects on key health metrics such as hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and body mass index were inconsistent. This inconsistency may be attributed to factors like small sample sizes and short study durations.

The findings emphasize the importance of initiatives like the American Heart Association's Health Care by Food™, which seeks to build a robust evidence base for incorporating nutritious food into healthcare. With 47 million Americans facing food insecurity and the U.S. spending approximately $50.4 billion annually on treating diet-related cardiometabolic diseases, the potential of FIM programs to address these challenges is significant.

Experts call for more rigorous, long-term randomized controlled trials and standardization of FIM interventions to better understand their impact. The goal is to integrate these programs into the healthcare system as a fundamental part of medical care, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing costs associated with chronic diseases.