AHA: Grocery Support Program Yields Reductions in BP Among Black Adults

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A grocery support program providing home-delivered groceries and dietitian guidance based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan yields a greater decrease in blood pressure (BP) than comparable monetary compensation among Black adults, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association to coincide with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025, held from Nov. 7 to 10 in New Orleans.

Stephen P. Juraschek, M.D., Ph.D., from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues conducted a parallel-group randomized clinical trial in Boston involving 180 Black residents of urban communities with few grocery stores. Participants, who had a systolic BP of 120 to <150 mm Hg, a diastolic BP <100 mm Hg, and no hypertension treatment, were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of home-delivered DASH-patterned groceries ordered weekly with dietitian counseling or three $500 stipends every four weeks intended for self-directed grocery shopping.

The researchers found that the mean systolic BP changed −5.7 and −2.3 mm Hg in the DASH-patterned and self-directed groups, respectively, at three months (difference in changes, −3.4 mm Hg). After three months, the DASH-patterned group changed mean diastolic BP by −2.4 mm Hg, urine sodium level by −545 mg/24 hours, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by −8.0 mg/dL compared with the self-directed group. At six months after the intervention was initiated, the effects were not maintained. The intervention had no effect on body mass index or hemoglobin A1c level.

“Our results confirm that with the right resources and support, people can make healthy food choices, which ultimately improves their cardiovascular and metabolic health,” Juraschek said in a statement.

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