Providing healthy, medically tailored meals or boxes of fresh produce along with nutrition counseling led to improved quality of life for people with heart failure compared to those who received dietary counseling without healthy food deliveries, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025.
“People with heart failure can often experience their condition worsening if they are not eating the right kind of food after they go home from the hospital,” said lead study author Ambarish Pandey, M.D., M.S., FAHA, an associate professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology and geriatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and medical director of the center’s heart failure with preserved ejection fraction program. “People need nutritious meals that can provide them with the right nutrients for optimal health, including the appropriate calorie intake, the right amount of protein and limited sodium, sugar and fat.”
The randomized trial included 150 adults enrolled within two weeks of discharge from the hospital for acute heart failure. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: medically tailored meals and dietary counseling; fresh produce boxes and dietary counseling; or dietary counseling without food delivery. Those receiving food were further divided into subgroups: one received food only if they picked up medications and attended follow-up clinic appointments, while the other received food regardless. The food delivery programs lasted 90 days.
Key findings revealed that participants in both food delivery groups reported higher quality of life based on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire compared to those receiving only dietary guidance. Additionally, those in the conditional delivery groups (requiring prescription pick-up) reported higher quality of life than those in the unconditional group. Notably, participants receiving fresh produce boxes reported greater patient satisfaction than those receiving prepared meals.
However, there were no significant differences in hospital readmissions or emergency department visits for heart failure between the food delivery groups and the counseling-only group, or between the two food delivery groups. The study recorded 32 total readmissions or ED visits, with 18% of participants experiencing at least one.
“These findings indicate the potential for healthy foods to affect outcomes and disease progression for people with chronic conditions like heart failure,” Pandey said. “If we can identify the best strategy for providing access to healthy food, this could be transformative for people with heart failure who are particularly vulnerable after hospitalization.”
Access to healthy food is a social determinant of health that influences cardiovascular disease risk and outcomes. According to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Scientific Statement, Systematic Review of “Food Is Medicine” Randomized Controlled Trials for Noncommunicable Disease in U.S., programs incorporating healthy food and health care show great potential in improving diet quality and food security.
Study limitations include its small size of 150 patients and short 90-day follow-up. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to assess impacts on hospitalizations and survival. The trial was funded by the American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food™ initiative.
