New study finds fruit and vegetable ‘prescriptions’ lead to improved health

When doctors and health-care providers “prescribed” fruits and vegetables, patients ate more produce, lost weight and experienced significant reductions in blood pressure, according to a new study (Source: “Fruit and vegetable ‘prescriptions’ may lead to better heart health,” Washington Post, Aug. 29).

“Produce prescriptions” are part of a growing effort in health care to provide food as medicine to potentially prevent or improve chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

In what is believed to be the largest study of these programs, researchers studied 3,881 people from low-income neighborhoods who received food vouchers through nine programs in a dozen states, from California to Florida. The participants received vouchers or cards worth $15 to $300 per month to buy more fruit and vegetables from farmers markets and grocery stores.

Researchers found that adults who participated in the programs ended up eating about 30% more produce per day, according to the research published Tuesday in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.