Medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions to prevent diabetes and heart disease
Official title: Cost-Effectiveness of Food is Medicine Interventions to Improve Diet and Reduce Cardiometabolic Diseases
Funded at Tufts University Boston · NIH-11180480 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Seeing if medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions help adults with or at risk for diabetes and heart disease eat healthier, improve health, and lower medical costs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Boston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2013 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $726,754 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL115189-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11180480 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with or at high risk for diabetes or other cardiometabolic conditions who could benefit from food support and nutrition education.
✕Less likely to help
People without cardiometabolic risk factors or those who already have reliable access to medically appropriate foods may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at Food is Medicine programs—like medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions—built into healthcare to help adults with or at risk for cardiometabolic disease eat better. Researchers will use national and state microsimulation models, cost-effectiveness calculations, legal and policy analysis, and real-choice experiments to compare program design choices such as monthly food value, types of food provided, duration, and disease targets. The team will also study how these food programs interact with other healthcare services and policies and will work with stakeholders including patients, clinicians, payers, and program providers. Results are intended to guide hospitals, insurers, and public programs on which approaches deliver the most health benefit and cost savings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these programs could improve diets, lower rates of diabetes and heart disease complications, and reduce healthcare costs.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier pilots and related analyses have shown promise for Food is Medicine approaches, but broader, comparative cost and health outcome data remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Boston
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mozaffarian, Dariush — Tufts University Boston
- Study coordinator: Mozaffarian, Dariush
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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.