Feasibility Study Shows Impact of RDN-led Food as Medicine Programs

“Food as medicine” is a hot topic with great potential to improve the health of Americans. Registered dietitian nutritionists have the unique knowledge and skill set to champion these initiatives. In a six-month descriptive feasibility Food as Medicine study, which was led by RDNs via in-person and telehealth medical nutrition therapy services, 80% or more of the most commonly seen nutrition problems were improved. This was a small feasibility study with 39 participants completing telehealth or in-person visits monthly to receive personalized recommendations. Outcomes included reduced excess calories eaten; lower overeating of carbohydrate foods; reduced systolic blood pressure, waist circumference and weight loss; as well as better diet quality and quality of life.

Limitations of the study include that participants were all white females in their 40s living in urban communities. This means the outcomes cannot be generalized. In addition, while 39 individuals completed the program, there was a high drop-out rate mostly due to timing, scheduling or the cost of participation. Even with the limitations, this study shows that a dietitian-led food as medicine intervention is feasible and can be conducted in the context of a food retailer with positive impacts on the health of participants. Future research should include a larger and more diverse group of participants and ways to overcome the barrier of cost, such as providing vouchers or credits to purchase food and cover the cost of transportation.

RDNs continue to be leaders in the food as medicine space and this study shows the potential benefit to public health. This study was funded through a grant to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation from General Mills.

Read the “Impact of a Dietitian-led Food as Medicine Program in the Food Retail Setting: A Feasibility Study,” published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.