New research has found that food prescriptions of veggies and fruits could slash cardiovascular disease risk, as nutrition insecurity and poor nutrition are serious chronic disease drivers on a global scale.
Examining Nutrition and Heart Health
More specifically, the study found that participants who had an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular conditions saw a reduction in blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index. Moreover, their chances of being food insecure went down by one-third.
The research team examined 3,881 people, comprising 1,817 children from two to 17 years old and 2,064 adults who had an average age of 54 years old. These people had developed or already had an elevated risk of having poor heart health because of their socioeconomic conditions.
The participants received vouchers, which amounted to a median of $63 monthly, that they could use in the local markets or groceries during the program. As such, they also underwent nutrition classes during this period.
The experiment went on for four to ten months from 2014 to 2020. During the period, the participants noted their health status, produce consumption, and food insecurity. Their height, weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure were also checked during the program's beginning and end.
Results revealed that the intake of vegetables and fruits of adults increased almost every day by one cup. For children, the increase went up by around one-fourth of a cup.
For BMI, no changes were observed among children. However, among adults, BMI was seen to significantly decrease. These adults had a 62% higher likelihood of reporting better health status and a one-third less likelihood to self-report food insecurity by the end of the study.
On top of this, adults with diabetes also saw a blood sugar decrease, while those combating high blood pressure saw reductions in both diastolic and systolic blood pressure.
Food Prescriptions: Veggies and Fruits
Dr. Mitchell Elkin, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University and the American Heart Association's chief clinical science officer, notes that both nutrition insecurity and poor nutrition are major factors of chronic diseases on a global scale. They affect conditions such as Type 2 diabetes as well as their cardiovascular risks like stroke, heart attack, and heart failure.
Dr. Kurt Hager, an author of the study and an instructor from the UMass Chan Medical School, explains that the research poses the need to have produce prescriptions.
He explains in a statement that it is known how food insecurity affects various pathways, such as general dietary quality. However, more than that, it also affects mental health, stress and anxiety, and tradeoffs between funding food and other basic necessities.
Dr. Elkin explains that the produce prescription program analysis shows the potential of food prescriptions that are subsidized. These could boost fruit and vegetable consumption, decrease food insecurity, and potentially improve objective and subjective metrics of health.
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