A recent study in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice highlighted the association of food as medicine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
The study aimed to implement food-as-medicine interventions and determine the health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
A total of 165 patients were included in the study. To receive weekly vouchers redeemable at a local food bank, patients with type 2 diabetes and food insecurity were referred by their primary care provider. Body Mass Index (BMI), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and blood pressure (BP) were monitored at baseline and follow-up. Throughout the Intervention, the voucher redemption and attendance at health education sessions were recorded. To determine the association between voucher redemption and health outcomes, linear mixed effects models were used.
It was found that the median time to redeem a food voucher was 17 weeks. Significant improvements in HbA1c were observed (−0.34 [-0.59, −0.09]; p = 0.008) with a decrease in HbA1c levels of 0.5 % in 38 % of patients after controlling for the number of pickups and days between baseline and follow-up clinic visits. No improvement in BMI or BP was observed.