Role of nutritional interventions to reduce cardiometabolic disease burden in the community

Top Things to Know

FIM programs can address both clinical and social needs simultaneously.

The review found that dietary strategies can produce clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.

Food Is Medicine initiatives may be especially valuable for advancing equitable health.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This review examines the role of community-based nutritional interventions in reducing the burden of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease, emphasizing that diet is one of the most scalable and impactful modifiable risk factors for prevention. The authors found that dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean and DASH diets consistently improve intermediate cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, inflammation, and glycemic control, although evidence for long-term reductions in major cardiovascular events remains limited. Emerging approaches such as intermittent fasting and the EAT–Lancet reference diet also show promise for improving cardiometabolic health through beneficial effects on body weight, blood pressure, and metabolic function. At the community level, interventions including sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, healthier food environments, nutrition education, and telehealth programs were associated with meaningful improvements in cardiometabolic outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. The review highlights that interventions combining policy, environmental changes, and culturally tailored community engagement tend to achieve the most sustainable dietary improvements. Overall, the authors conclude that nutrition-focused strategies can reduce cardiovascular risk, promote equitable health, and complement traditional medical care when implemented at scale.