Current:Home > MyFruit and vegetable "prescriptions" linked to better health and less food insecurity, study finds-InfoLens
Fruit and vegetable "prescriptions" linked to better health and less food insecurity, study finds
View Date:2024-12-23 14:52:26
"Prescribing" fruits and vegetables to adults and children is associated with increased consumption of these foods and multiple health benefits, according to a new study.
The analysis, published in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journal Circulation, looked at people at increased risk for cardiovascular disease who participated in produce prescription programs for an average of six months, and found they increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables. This shift was associated with improved body mass index, blood sugar and blood pressure levels, researchers found, as well as a decrease in food insecurity.
"Poor nutrition and nutrition insecurity are major drivers of chronic disease globally, including cardiometabolic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and their cardiovascular consequences, including heart failure, heart attack and stroke," Dr. Mitchell Elkind, chief clinical science officer of the American Heart Association and a tenured professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University, said in a news release. "This analysis of produce prescription programs illustrates the potential of subsidized produce prescriptions to increase consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables, reduce food insecurity and, hopefully, improve subjective and objective health measures."
In produce prescription programs, patients receive electronic cards or vouchers to access free or discounted produce at grocery stores or farmers' markets, the authors explain.
The analysis, which is thought to be the largest study of the impact of produce prescriptions, encompassed more than 3,800 participants across nine programs around the country. Almost half (1,817) were children with the average age of 9, while 2,064 were adults with an average age of 54. More than half of households in the study reported experiencing food insecurity.
Participants received a median of $63 per month to buy produce and completed questionnaires about fruit and vegetable consumption, food insecurity and health status. Routine testing was also performed to check health status, but there was no control group to compare results, a limitation of the study.
Still, the results suggest produce prescriptions could be an important tool for improved health. For example, adults reported their fruits and vegetables intake increased by nearly one cup per day, and children's intake increased by about a quarter cup per day. The odds of being food insecure also dropped by one-third.
"Future research will need to include randomized controlled trials to offset any potential bias and prove more rigorously the benefits of produce prescription programs," Elkind added. "The American Heart Association's new Food Is Medicine Initiative will be focused on supporting such trials."
- The best (and worst) diets for heart health, according to the American Heart Association
- How much water should you drink a day? And other hydration questions, answered by experts
- In:
- American Heart Association
veryGood! (18798)
Related
- Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
- European Union leaders to hold a summit with Western Balkans nations to discuss joining the bloc
- Piper Laurie, Oscar-nominated actor for The Hustler and Carrie, dies at 91
- Police pursuit in Indiana ends with suspect crashing vehicle, killing 2, seriously injuring 4
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- As war grows, those who want peace for Israelis and Palestinians face harrowing test
- Suzanne Somers dead at 76; actor played Chrissy Snow on past US TV sitcom “Three’s Company”
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Oct. 15, 2023
- Watch a rescuer’s cat-like reflexes pluck a kitten from mid-air after a scary fall
- Italian lawmakers debate long-delayed Holocaust Museum revived by far-right-led government
Ranking
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- In Hamas’ horrific killings, Israeli trauma over the Holocaust resurfaces
- Suzanne Somers, of ‘Three’s Company,’ dies at 76
- Travis Barker Shares Photo of Gruesome Hand Injury After Blink-182 Concert
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Millie Bobby Brown Reveals How Fiancé Jake Bongiovi Changed Her Stance on Marriage
- Best Buy set to stop selling DVD and Blu-ray discs
- Jewish people around the world grieve and pray for peace in first Shabbat services since Hamas attack
Recommendation
-
Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
-
'Netflix houses', where fans can immerse themselves in their favorite shows, will open in US by 2025
-
Russia’s assault on a key eastern Ukraine city is weakening, Kyiv claims, as the war marks 600 days
-
Horoscopes Today, October 15, 2023
-
Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
-
European Union leaders to hold a summit with Western Balkans nations to discuss joining the bloc
-
Watchdog Finds a US Chemical Plant Isn’t Reporting Emissions of Climate Super-Pollutants and Ozone-Depleting Substances to Federal Regulators
-
Montana man mauled by a grizzly bear gets to go home after five weeks in the hospital.