Comprehensive and Medically Appropriate Food Support Is Associated with Improved HIV and Diabetes Health
Food Is Medicine Coalition partner, Project Open Hand, is proud to announce the completion and publication of a scientific collaboration with physicians and researchers from UC San Francisco that demonstrates with data how the healing power of nutritious food is crucial for serving the critically ill.
The study, published the peer-reviewed Journal of Urban Health, involved more than 50 San Francisco and Alameda County residents living with Diabetes, HIV/AIDS or dual diagnosis. The study showed increases in the number of people with diabetes who achieved optimal blood sugar control and decreases in hospitalizations or emergency department visits. Participants with diabetes also consumed less sugar and lost weight through Project Open Hand’s nutritious and medically tailored meals. HIV-positive clients who received healthy food and snacks for six months from Project Open Hand were more likely to adhere to their medication regiments, and they, along with clients with Type 2 Diabetes, were less depressed and less likely to make trade-offs between food and healthcare, according to researchers at UCSF.
“This study highlights the vital role that community-based food support organizations can play in supporting health and well-being of chronically ill populations who struggle to afford basic needs,” said Sheri Weiser, M.D., associate professor of medicine at UCSF and senior author of the study.