Food Delivery and Dietary Counseling Program Shows Promise in Reducing Blood Pressure for Black Adults in Food Deserts

A grocery support program combining home-delivered groceries with dietary counseling based on the DASH eating plan significantly reduced blood pressure levels in Black adults living in food deserts, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025. The study, simultaneously published in JAMA, revealed that participants receiving both grocery deliveries and dietitian guidance saw greater improvements in cardiovascular health markers compared to those who received only financial stipends for self-directed grocery shopping.

The research involved 180 Black adults living in Boston-area neighborhoods with limited access to grocery stores, all with systolic blood pressure levels ranging from 120 mm Hg to less than 150 mm Hg at the study's outset. Participants were randomly assigned to either receive 12 weeks of home-delivered DASH-patterned groceries tailored to their caloric needs plus weekly counseling with a dietitian, or three $500 stipends every four weeks for self-directed grocery shopping without dietary support.

After the 12-week program, participants in the DASH group experienced an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 5.7 mm Hg, compared to only 2.2 mm Hg in the stipend-only group. The DASH group also saw significant improvements in LDL cholesterol levels, with an average decrease of 8 mg/dL, and diastolic blood pressure measurements decreased by 2.4 mm Hg. However, when researchers monitored participants for an additional three months after the program ended, they found that all cardiovascular benefits had disappeared, with blood pressure and cholesterol levels returning to pre-study measurements.

Lead study author Stephen P. Juraschek, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, emphasized the study's significance in addressing real-world barriers to healthy eating. "This study is significant because it is focused on helping people eat healthier, more nutritious foods they can purchase in a regular grocery store," Juraschek said. "Our results confirm that with the right resources and support, people can make healthy food choices, which ultimately improves their cardiovascular and metabolic health."

The findings underscore the persistent challenges facing communities in food deserts, where limited access to grocery stores and the high cost of nutritious foods create significant barriers to maintaining healthy eating habits. According to the American Heart Association's 2025 Food Is Medicine Scientific Statement, programs that incorporate healthy food into health care for people with or at high risk for chronic health conditions show great potential in improving diet quality, food security and health outcomes. The research was funded by the American Heart Association's Health Equity Research Network on Hypertension initiative, which aims to address health disparities in cardiovascular care.

The study's limitations include its relatively short timeframe and geographic concentration in one area, meaning results may not apply to all communities. Additionally, participants were not taking blood pressure medications and did not have diabetes, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to broader populations. The American Heart Association's Health Care by Food initiative continues to evaluate the impact of nutritious food on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, with additional research needed to develop sustainable solutions for food desert communities.