An 8-month program delivering medically tailored meals improved diet quality and access to healthy food for adults with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, according to new, independent preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026. The study also found that gradually reducing the number of meals participants received each month did not decrease the initiative's health benefits when complemented with a heart health curriculum focused on healthy eating at home.
The research, funded by the American Heart Association's Health Care by Food initiative, enrolled 110 adults with an average age of 63; 68% were women, 47% self-identified as Hispanic ethnicity and 43% as Black adults. Half received standard dosing of 10 meals a week for eight months, while the other half received standard dosing for three months followed by a gradual reduction to five meals per week in the final month. Both groups also received nutrition counseling, cooking demonstrations and the Association's Life's Essential 8 curriculum.
After eight months, overall diet quality improved in both groups, with a 3-point improvement on a scale measuring alignment with a heart-healthy Mediterranean-style eating pattern. Participants had more than twice the chance of achieving a higher food security status. Blood sugar, measured via HbA1c testing, fell by about 0.5%, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were both lowered by about 4 mm Hg. The findings suggest that food is medicine interventions could be a helpful way to improve chronic disease outcomes, particularly in populations with a high burden of cardiometabolic conditions.
The study's lead author, Nour Makarem, Ph.D., FAHA, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Mailman School of Public Health, said prior studies had not examined how the number of meals provided each week influences health outcomes and what would constitute a cost-effective dose. "This study found that food is medicine programs, when complemented by adequate heart health promotion efforts, may be impactful for prevention and could meaningfully improve health outcomes in adults at high risk for heart disease," Makarem said.
Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., scientific lead of the American Heart Association's Health Care by Food initiative, who was not involved in the research, noted that medically tailored meals are expensive and that a gradual taper approach could be helpful in providing a more sustainable and scalable way to improve cardiometabolic health for more people. More than half of U.S. adults have poor-quality diets, a leading risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, according to the American Heart Association's 2025 Scientific Statement, A Systematic Review of “Food Is Medicine” Randomized Controlled Trials for Noncommunicable Disease in the United States. Food insecurity affected nearly 14% of U.S. households in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The researchers noted that the study took place at one location in New York City, which may limit how widely the results can be applied, and that larger, multi-site clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings. The abstract is available in the 2026 Online Program Planner, and additional details are available in the release link. A Spanish news release is also available. The findings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Association's overall financial information is available here, and more information about the meeting can be found at Scientific Sessions 2026. For general heart health information, visit heart.org or stroke.org.
