AHA calls for more research on integrating food and nutrition into health care

Closing research gaps and building a more robust body of evidence on the efficacy and value of clinical Food Is Medicine programs could greatly improve the treatment and prevention of many serious chronic illnesses, 根据美国心脏协会的一份新声明.

的 总统顾问, 周四发表在《线上电子游戏飞禽走兽》杂志上, highlights preliminary new evidence that suggests incorporating healthy foods into a person's medical treatment could improve health outcomes, 减少卫生保健的使用，提高保健的成本效益. 这份声明为加大研究力度提供了路线图, 包括更大的样本量和随机研究, to compare how nutrition-based interventions stack up against standard medical care for treating and preventing diet-related health conditions.

"To unlock the potential of Food Is Medicine and make it a regular and reimbursable component of health care, 我们需要一种雄心勃勃、协调一致的研究方法," Dr. 凯文·G. 咨询写作小组主席Volpp在线上电子游戏飞禽走兽发布会上说. Volpp is director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, an 美国心脏协会 volunteer and research lead of the AHA's Food Is Medicine initiative.

"By addressing research gaps and integrating research efforts in collaboration with stakeholders nationwide, we will fuel cross-sector efforts that ensure Food Is Medicine programs improve health costs effectively and are feasible in practice,他说.

美国.S. 花4美元.3 trillion annually on health care, roughly 90% of which pays for chronic medical conditions. Eating unhealthy foods is a major risk factor for many of these conditions, 但更健康的选择并不总是负担得起或可获得的. That makes it challenging to apply clinical, food-based interventions in many communities. But research shows health care systems may be able to make healthy foods more accessible to patients.

Food Is Medicine programs focus on providing medical prescriptions for healthy foods to manage, 治疗和预防慢性疾病, 比如充血性心力衰竭和糖尿病. 2022年9月, the AHA launched a Food Is Medicine research initiative designed to determine the impact of nutrition-based interventions on disease prevention and treatment, 与标准医疗护理相比.

的 initiative will begin by funding groundbreaking research that explores such questions as how to increase screening and enrollment and address individual and cultural preferences in Food Is Medicine programs, and how behavioral coaching and education can influence short- and long-term behavior change.

This initiative is part of the AHA's broader effort to improve health equity. 该咨询报告概述了指导这项研究的关键原则, such as an emphasis on equity and the experiences of people in diverse communities across the U.S. 它还呼吁努力加强公共政策, standardize professional education nationally to include nutrition science and Food Is Medicine research, educate the public and make Food Is Medicine programs a priority at all levels of government.

的 advisory also calls for multisector partnerships to develop evidence showing the efficacy and value of Food Is Medicine programs to encourage health insurers to cover them as a medical benefit.

"Food Is Medicine holds the promise to improve health outcomes for millions of patients living with or at risk for cardiovascular disease and other serious chronic health conditions," Dr. 米切尔年代.V. 埃尔金德在线上电子游戏飞禽走兽稿中说. Elkind is chief clinical science officer and a former president of the AHA, a member of the advisory writing committee and a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University.

“太多患者无法获得健康食品, and they may have limited ability to prepare those foods into healthy meals, 但“食物就是药物”项目可以帮助改变这种状况,他说.