Trial results for a study investigating "Food as Medicine" programs for patients with Hypertension and Food Insecurity were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-04-01. The Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program arm showed a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 9.39 mmHg.
Background
Hypertension is a common chronic condition requiring ongoing management. Food insecurity, defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, can significantly impact health outcomes, including the ability to manage chronic conditions like hypertension. "Food as Medicine" programs aim to address this by providing nutritious food interventions, potentially improving clinical outcomes and patient engagement, particularly when tailored to individual preferences and needs.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 159 participants with Food Insecurity and Hypertension. The trial aimed to understand how a tailored "Food is Medicine" program, based on user preferences and needs, could improve engagement and clinical outcomes. The study examined how patients, screened for food insecurity, engaged in a "Food is Medicine" program over 12 weeks. Interventions included a Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program and a Grocery Prescription program.
Key results
The trial results indicate varied changes across the two "Food is Medicine" program arms:
- For the Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) group, the mean change in systolic blood pressure was 9.39 mmHg.
- For the Grocery Prescription group, the mean change in systolic blood pressure was .25 mmHg.
- The mean change in diastolic blood pressure for the Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) group was 5.45 mmHg.
- The mean change in diastolic blood pressure for the Grocery Prescription group was 1.26 mmHg.
- Regarding dietary intake, the Medically Tailored Meals group showed mean changes of .49 cups per day and .24 cups per day.
- The Grocery Prescription group showed mean changes in dietary intake of .24 cups per day and .22 cups per day.
- For the outcome "Number of Participants Who Answered Never/Rarely, Sometimes, Often/Always, and Don't Know to the Nutrition Security Question", the Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) group had participant counts of 10 Participants and 7 Participants.
- The Grocery Prescription group had participant counts of 34 Participants and 44 Participants for the same outcome.
What this means
The results suggest that "Food as Medicine" programs can have varying impacts on clinical outcomes for patients with hypertension and food insecurity. The Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program demonstrated a notable mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 9.39 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 5.45 mmHg. In contrast, the Grocery Prescription program showed minimal changes in blood pressure. These findings imply that the specific type of food intervention may significantly influence its effectiveness in managing hypertension. While both programs aimed to address food insecurity, the more structured and tailored approach of the MTM program appears to have yielded more substantial clinical benefits in terms of blood pressure control.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT07011251, titled "Food Insecurity, Food as Medicine, Hypertension", were posted on 2026-04-01 on clinicaltrials.gov.