Regular Plant-Based Food Packages Linked to Better Blood Pressure and Lower Weight

Providing nutritious food on a consistent basis may help improve some chronic health conditions, according to new research from Mass General Brigham.

The study tracked adults who received weekly plant-based grocery packages over an average period of 2.7 years.

Such efforts are often described as “Food Is Medicine” programs. They aim to support people who may have trouble affording or regularly obtaining foods that promote good health.

The research involved 68 adults who received an average of 97 grocery packages through the Mass General Brigham Revere Community Health Center Food Pantry. The packages contained fruits, vegetables, beans, nut butter, and whole grains, and were assembled according to federal healthy eating guidelines.

Each box provided enough food for three meals a day for every person in the household for one week. Participants were able to return each week for another package as long as they needed support.

People who received more packages generally experienced greater health gains. For every 100 packages distributed, the researchers estimated an average decline of 3.21 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure, the lower blood pressure reading.

The same amount of food support was also associated with an average weight reduction of 2.6 kilograms, or about 5.7 pounds. Body mass index, which is based on weight and height, dropped by an average of 1.04 points as well.

In participants who started with high blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, the upper reading, also went down. The researchers did not, however, find a significant change in hemoglobin A1c, a blood test often used to monitor average blood sugar in people with diabetes.

The results were published in Preventing Chronic Disease. The researchers said the findings suggest that providing large amounts of healthy food over years, rather than only for weeks or months, may bring greater benefits.

The study also had major limitations. It included only 68 adults and compared health measurements before and after the program instead of randomly assigning people to receive food or no food. That means the research can show an association, but it cannot prove the grocery packages alone caused the improvements.

Even so, the pattern is promising because participants who received more packages tended to show greater improvement overall. The researchers said larger controlled studies are needed to confirm the findings and identify which patients benefit most from long-term food support.

If you are interested in blood pressure, you may also want to read studies on how diet can help lower high blood pressure and how 3 grams of omega-3s a day may help keep it in check.

For more health coverage, see recent studies on how tea and coffee affect the risk of high blood pressure, along with findings suggesting that this olive oil may reduce blood pressure in healthy people.

Source: Mass General Brigham.