Food Delivery Program Cuts Blood Pressure in Food Deserts

A groundbreaking study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 reveals that Black adults living in food deserts experienced significant cardiovascular improvements through a specialized grocery support program. The research, led by Dr. Stephen P. Juraschek of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, compared two approaches: one group received 12 weeks of home-delivered groceries following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan along with weekly dietitian counseling, while a control group received monthly $500 stipends for self-directed grocery shopping without nutritional guidance. The results were striking - participants receiving the comprehensive DASH program saw their systolic blood pressure decrease by an average of 5.7 mm Hg, more than double the improvement of the stipend-only group, who saw only 2.2 mm Hg reductions. Additionally, the DASH group experienced significant drops in LDL cholesterol levels and diastolic blood pressure measurements, demonstrating the powerful impact of structured nutritional support on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The study's most revealing finding emerged during the three-month follow-up period after the interventions ended. Once participants stopped receiving either the grocery deliveries or monthly stipends, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels returned to pre-study measurements, highlighting how social barriers like food access and affordability directly influence health outcomes. This research, funded by the American Heart Association's Health Equity Research Network on Hypertension and simultaneously published in JAMA, enrolled 180 Black adults from Boston-area neighborhoods with limited grocery store access. The findings underscore the critical importance of addressing systemic barriers to healthy eating, as even with nutritional knowledge and temporary financial support, participants couldn't maintain their health improvements without ongoing access to affordable, nutritious foods. The study aligns with the American Heart Association's broader Food Is Medicine initiative and Health Care by Food program, emphasizing that nutrition interventions must be sustained to produce lasting health benefits.

This research represents a significant advancement in understanding how food access impacts cardiovascular health, particularly for communities facing structural disadvantages. The study's design, which used regular grocery store foods rather than laboratory-prepared meals, makes the findings highly relevant to real-world conditions. The dramatic return to baseline health metrics after the intervention ended provides compelling evidence that temporary solutions are insufficient for addressing chronic health disparities. As cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, this study demonstrates that effective prevention requires not just individual education but systemic changes to ensure all communities have consistent access to healthy, affordable food options. The research team's findings challenge conventional approaches to public health nutrition and call for more comprehensive strategies that address the root causes of food insecurity and its impact on population health.