The American Heart Association has awarded planning grants totaling nearly $1.2 million to 12 scientific researchers, advancing its innovative Health Care by Food™ initiative aimed at transforming how chronic diseases are managed through nutrition-based interventions.
These grants will support the development of detailed clinical trial protocols focusing on how food-based medical treatments, such as produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals, can effectively address chronic health conditions. With an estimated 90% of the United States' $4.5 trillion annual health care expenditure devoted to diet-related chronic diseases, these research efforts could significantly reshape medical treatment approaches.
Dr. Kevin Volpp, scientific lead for the initiative, emphasized the critical nature of testing food intervention programs that might interest insurers for potential coverage. The grants provide researchers a one-year period to design and prepare comprehensive clinical trial documentation, enabling subsequent competition for larger federal or institutional funding.
The research builds upon the American Heart Association's existing portfolio of 23 small-scale clinical trials exploring food-based medical interventions. These current studies aim to understand program engagement, patient retention, and health outcomes through a human-centered design approach.
By systematically investigating the effectiveness of food-based medical treatments, researchers hope to identify interventions that are both clinically and financially viable. The ultimate goal is to develop scalable, sustainable approaches to managing chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity through nutritional strategies.
The Health Care by Food initiative, launched in 2022, represents a comprehensive approach to integrating nutrition into chronic disease management. Supported by funding from organizations including The Rockefeller Foundation and Kroger, the program seeks to transform how health care professionals and insurance providers view food as a fundamental component of medical treatment.
As these research efforts progress, they have the potential to fundamentally change medical treatment paradigms, offering a preventative and holistic approach to managing chronic health conditions that could significantly reduce health care costs and improve patient outcomes.
