A new study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences highlights the relationship between food and health, finding that the food we eat can be used to combat chronic diseases like diabetes. Researchers worked with low-income individuals with diabetes, partnering with Arkansas food pantries to deliver healthy food to them for three months. They focused on providing fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and foods high in fiber. They eliminated processed foods and foods high in sugar, which can be especially harmful for people with diabetes. After three months, the subjects saw a “clinically meaningful reduction” in their average blood sugar levels. “The food we put into our bodies can be just as important as medicine, as something we might pick up at the pharmacy,” said Dr. Pearl McElfish, director for the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation. “It is critical as we evolve as health care providers to focus on food as medicine, for insurance companies and Medicaid to really consider paying for healthy foods the same way they would provide other prescriptions.”She said it can be difficult for low-income people to access nutritious foods, especially people of color, who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.She emphasized taking a preventative approach to health care that addresses the causes of diseases before they develop. “By providing healthy food, we can reduce downstream costs,” McElfish said. “We would love to see this expanded statewide and have food as medicine be a part of the clinical care that we provide to everyone, particularly low-income individuals.”This comes as the federal government recently released new dietary guidelines, encouraging people to limit refined carbohydrates and processed foods, prioritizing proteins and healthy fats.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —
A new study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences highlights the relationship between food and health, finding that the food we eat can be used to combat chronic diseases like diabetes.
Researchers worked with low-income individuals with diabetes, partnering with Arkansas food pantries to deliver healthy food to them for three months.
They focused on providing fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and foods high in fiber. They eliminated processed foods and foods high in sugar, which can be especially harmful for people with diabetes.
After three months, the subjects saw a “clinically meaningful reduction” in their average blood sugar levels.
“The food we put into our bodies can be just as important as medicine, as something we might pick up at the pharmacy,” said Dr. Pearl McElfish, director for the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation. “It is critical as we evolve as health care providers to focus on food as medicine, for insurance companies and Medicaid to really consider paying for healthy foods the same way they would provide other prescriptions.”
She said it can be difficult for low-income people to access nutritious foods, especially people of color, who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.
She emphasized taking a preventative approach to health care that addresses the causes of diseases before they develop.
“By providing healthy food, we can reduce downstream costs,” McElfish said. “We would love to see this expanded statewide and have food as medicine be a part of the clinical care that we provide to everyone, particularly low-income individuals.”
This comes as the federal government recently released new dietary guidelines, encouraging people to limit refined carbohydrates and processed foods, prioritizing proteins and healthy fats.
