Access to a Healthy Diet Improves Outcomes in HIV, Diabetes Patients

Providing healthy food to food insecure individuals with HIV and/or type 2 diabetes was associated with improved adherence to medication regimens, decreases in depression, and other health outcomes, according to the results of a recent study.

While food insecurity has been shown to be associated with negative chronic health outcomes, little data is available on the effects of providing medically appropriate food assistance to individuals with chronic health conditions.
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To further explore this issue, researchers evaluated a support intervention for individuals with HIV and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus in order to determine the potential impact on nutritional, mental health, disease management, healthcare utilization, and physical health outcomes.

The intervention provided food to individuals for 6 months. Provided meals comprised 100% of daily energy requirements and met nutritional guidelines for a healthy diet. Paired outcomes at baseline and 6 months were assessed.

Overall, 52 participants were included in the study, 23 of which had HIV, 24 of which had type 2 diabetes, and 7 of which had HIV and diabetes.

Among those with diabetes, frequency of sugar consumption decreased and diabetes distress and perceived diabetes self-management improved over the course of the study. Among those with HIV, 95% adherence to antiretroviral therapy increased from 47% to 70%.

“Comprehensive, medically appropriate food support is feasible and may improve multiple health outcomes for food-insecure individuals living with chronic health conditions. Future studies should formally test the impact of medically appropriate food support interventions for food-insecure populations through rigorous, randomized controlled designs,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Palar K, Napoles T, Hufstedler LL, et al. Comprehensive and medically appropriate food support is associated with improved hiv and diabetes health [J Urban Health. published online January 17, 2017]. doi:10.1007/s11524-016-0129-7.