"Food Is Medicine" Strategies for Nutrition Security and Cardiometabolic Health Equity: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Top Things to Know

FIM programs improve food insecurity, diet quality, and various health outcomes, including glucose control and hypertension

Most studies are not randomized trials, indicating a need for more rigorous evaluation to fill this research gap.

New programs and policies are rapidly advancing FIM within healthcare, requiring collaboration across multiple sectors.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

The review discusses FIM strategies to address nutrition security and cardiometabolic health equity. It highlights the positive effects of FIM programs on food insecurity, diet quality, glucose control, hypertension, body weight, disease self-management, and cost-effectiveness. However, most studies are quasiexperimental or pre/post interventions, with larger randomized trials ongoing. The review emphasizes the need for multiparty partnerships to optimize and scale these interventions, and notes the rapid acceleration of new national and local programs and policies supporting FIM.