How not having reliable food affects young adults' heart and metabolic health
Official title: Food Security and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11125900 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how not having enough reliable food affects heart and metabolic health in college students and young adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $715,125 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164727-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11125900 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are college students and young adults—especially those who are food insecure, from low-income or first-generation families, or who identify as Black or Latino.
✕Less likely to help
People who have steady access to food, are outside the college/young-adult age range, or whose health concerns are unrelated to food access may not get direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers are following college students and emerging adults to track how often and for how long they experience food insecurity. They will collect information on eating, activity, sleep, nicotine exposure, body weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol using surveys, physical measurements, and lab tests guided by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8. The team will focus on students from low-income, first-generation, Black, and Latino backgrounds and measure whether food insecurity is a short-term or chronic problem. Their goal is to understand links between food access and early signs of heart and metabolic risk so schools and health programs can better help students.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify students at risk and guide programs or policies to improve food access and reduce early heart and metabolic problems.
How similar studies have gone: Some past studies have linked food insecurity to health risks, but few have tracked college students longitudinally using the AHA Life’s Essential 8, so this approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Martinez, Suzanna M — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Martinez, Suzanna M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.