New research, including studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine and supported by the American Heart Association (AHA), highlights the significant benefits of "Food Is Medicine" programs that prescribe healthy food to individuals at risk of metabolic and diet-related diseases.
One such study found that a "prescription food" program led to lower blood pressure in patients, a change that can significantly reduce the long-term risk of heart attacks and strokes.
One such study found that a "prescription food" program led to lower blood pressure in patients, a change that can significantly reduce the long-term risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Overcoming the Barrier of Cost
For many, the biggest obstacle to a healthier diet is cost. Latoya Perkinson, who lives in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, shared her familiar struggle:
“Apples at one point were super expensive—$7 for a bag of apples. That's really expensive.”
Perkinson and her family became eligible for an $80-a-month produce prescription program called "Eat Well," offered by the North Carolina nonprofit Reinvestment Partners.
Latoya Perkinson's Experience:
- Impact: The benefit allowed her to consistently buy the healthy fruits and vegetables she previously had to forgo.
- Health Benefit: She noticed an improvement: "My blood pressure has been going down if I eat well..." She notes that natural foods, such as bananas, help with her high blood pressure.
For many, the biggest obstacle to a healthier diet is cost. Latoya Perkinson, who lives in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, shared her familiar struggle:
“Apples at one point were super expensive—$7 for a bag of apples. That's really expensive.”
Perkinson and her family became eligible for an $80-a-month produce prescription program called "Eat Well," offered by the North Carolina nonprofit Reinvestment Partners.
Latoya Perkinson's Experience:
- Impact: The benefit allowed her to consistently buy the healthy fruits and vegetables she previously had to forgo.
- Health Benefit: She noticed an improvement: "My blood pressure has been going down if I eat well..." She notes that natural foods, such as bananas, help with her high blood pressure.
The Clinical Evidence
Peter Skillern, CEO of Reinvestment Partners, emphasizes that cost is the main barrier to healthy eating, and the program's success shows that reducing this barrier leads to positive behavioral changes and improved health.
Dr. Seth Berkowitz, a primary care doctor and deputy scientific director of the AHA's Health Care by Food initiative, authored a new study supporting this approach.
Key Research Finding:
- Participants in a monthly produce prescription supplement program saw an average reduction in blood pressure of about 5.4 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
Dr. Berkowitz on the Significance of the Reduction:
A reduction this size might not look significant, yet a difference of just one or two millimeters of mercury in blood pressure is powerful enough to prevent much higher numbers of heart attacks and strokes across the population.
Peter Skillern, CEO of Reinvestment Partners, emphasizes that cost is the main barrier to healthy eating, and the program's success shows that reducing this barrier leads to positive behavioral changes and improved health.
Dr. Seth Berkowitz, a primary care doctor and deputy scientific director of the AHA's Health Care by Food initiative, authored a new study supporting this approach.
Key Research Finding:
- Participants in a monthly produce prescription supplement program saw an average reduction in blood pressure of about 5.4 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
Dr. Berkowitz on the Significance of the Reduction:
A reduction this size might not look significant, yet a difference of just one or two millimeters of mercury in blood pressure is powerful enough to prevent much higher numbers of heart attacks and strokes across the population.
Food vs. Traditional Medicine
The consensus is that for diet-related diseases, both medicine and diet changes are helpful. However, healthy food offers a broader systemic benefit:
- Blood pressure medication addresses hypertension directly, but it does not necessarily offer side benefits by impacting a patient's cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
- Healthy Food: "But healthy food affects lots of different systems, all in a positive way."
This growing body of evidence points to a powerful follow-up to the concept of doctors writing prescriptions to go outdoors: a prescription for eating more fruits and vegetables is increasingly validated as a form of medicine.
Would you like to search for more information about the American Heart Association's "Health Care by Food" initiative?
The consensus is that for diet-related diseases, both medicine and diet changes are helpful. However, healthy food offers a broader systemic benefit:
- Blood pressure medication addresses hypertension directly, but it does not necessarily offer side benefits by impacting a patient's cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
- Healthy Food: "But healthy food affects lots of different systems, all in a positive way."
This growing body of evidence points to a powerful follow-up to the concept of doctors writing prescriptions to go outdoors: a prescription for eating more fruits and vegetables is increasingly validated as a form of medicine.
Would you like to search for more information about the American Heart Association's "Health Care by Food" initiative?
AHA's Health Care by Food™ Initiative: Building the Evidence for Food as Medicine
The American Heart Association's (AHA) Health Care by Food™ initiative is a major coordinated effort to advance Food Is Medicine interventions—which incorporate healthy food into healthcare to treat, manage, and prevent diet-related diseases.
The initiative is built on the need to address the fact that an estimated 90% of the $4.3 trillion annual U.S. healthcare cost is spent on chronic diseases, for many of which diet is a major risk factor.
The American Heart Association's (AHA) Health Care by Food™ initiative is a major coordinated effort to advance Food Is Medicine interventions—which incorporate healthy food into healthcare to treat, manage, and prevent diet-related diseases.
The initiative is built on the need to address the fact that an estimated 90% of the $4.3 trillion annual U.S. healthcare cost is spent on chronic diseases, for many of which diet is a major risk factor.
Core Objectives and Strategy
The AHA's strategy is multi-faceted, focusing on scientific rigor, public policy advocacy, and education to ensure Food Is Medicine (FIM) interventions become a standard, reimbursable part of healthcare.
Key Pillars of the Initiative:
- Research: Investing in scientific research to strengthen the evidence base for FIM interventions, focusing on their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. In 2024, the initiative awarded grants to fund 23 small-scale clinical trials to test the scalability and sustainability of these programs.
- Defining FIM: FIM programs are generally defined as the provision of healthy food resources (like medically tailored meals or produce prescriptions) to prevent, manage, or treat specific chronic conditions in coordination with the healthcare sector.
- Addressing Inequities: The initiative is keenly focused on removing barriers to nutritious food, especially among communities of color and those with low income, where low diet quality is a major driver of chronic disease.
The AHA's strategy is multi-faceted, focusing on scientific rigor, public policy advocacy, and education to ensure Food Is Medicine (FIM) interventions become a standard, reimbursable part of healthcare.
Key Pillars of the Initiative:
- Research: Investing in scientific research to strengthen the evidence base for FIM interventions, focusing on their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. In 2024, the initiative awarded grants to fund 23 small-scale clinical trials to test the scalability and sustainability of these programs.
- Defining FIM: FIM programs are generally defined as the provision of healthy food resources (like medically tailored meals or produce prescriptions) to prevent, manage, or treat specific chronic conditions in coordination with the healthcare sector.
- Addressing Inequities: The initiative is keenly focused on removing barriers to nutritious food, especially among communities of color and those with low income, where low diet quality is a major driver of chronic disease.
Advancing the Field
The Health Care by Food™ initiative was first announced at the September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, with anchor funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and support from collaborators like Kroger and Instacart.
The goal is to move the FIM concept forward by:
- Identifying effective ways for food to address diet-related conditions.
- Providing healthcare professionals with the tools to prescribe FIM programs.
- Generating sufficient evidence for payors (insurers/governments) to consider reimbursing for these food-based interventions.
The initial research projects focus on feasibility and implementation science, testing ways to achieve high enrollment and engagement in FIM programs to ensure significant short-term changes in healthy eating behavior.
Disclaimer: This content is published only for health awareness and informational purposes. It's not a substitute for your professional medical advice. You must consult a doctor/healthcare professional regarding your specific health concerns.
The Health Care by Food™ initiative was first announced at the September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, with anchor funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and support from collaborators like Kroger and Instacart.
The goal is to move the FIM concept forward by:
- Identifying effective ways for food to address diet-related conditions.
- Providing healthcare professionals with the tools to prescribe FIM programs.
- Generating sufficient evidence for payors (insurers/governments) to consider reimbursing for these food-based interventions.
The initial research projects focus on feasibility and implementation science, testing ways to achieve high enrollment and engagement in FIM programs to ensure significant short-term changes in healthy eating behavior.
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