- Produce prescriptions enable doctors to prescribe subsidized fresh fruit and vegetables.
- A study of produce prescription programs found participants ate more fruits and vegetables and decreased their body mass index, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
- Produce prescriptions also reduced food insecurity, which is associated with poor health outcomes.
A prescription written by a doctor for fruits and vegetables may be beneficial for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
That’s according to
In their study, researchers reported that people who received a “produce prescription” for six months reduced their body mass index, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels and increased the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diet.
“We know that food insecurity impacts health through several important pathways, including overall dietary quality, but also through stress and anxiety, mental health and tradeoffs between paying for food and other basic needs such as housing costs, utilities and medications,” Kurt Hager, PhD, an author of the study and an instructor at UMass Chan Medical School in Massachusetts, said in a
“These results indicate produce prescriptions may lay an important foundation for improved health and well-being,” he added.
The researchers examined data from 22 produce prescription programs across 12 states between 2014 to 2020. The data included 3,881 participants of which 2,064 were adults and 1,817 were children. The participants were at risk for or had poor cardiometabolic health.
The participants were from clinics that served low-income neighborhoods.
As part of the produce prescription program, participants were given an average of $63 a month to buy fruits and vegetables.
The researchers reported that the adults in the program were 60% more likely to increase their health status by one level (for example, from fair to good) by the end of the…
Read the full article here