New Research on Abbott's Healthy Food Rx Program Shows Food is Medicine Approach Helps People Living with Diabetes Eat Better and Feel Healthier

Published: 2025-06-23 10:06:07 ET ABT

Published on 06/23/2025 at 10:06

CHICAGO - Late-breaking research presented at the American Diabetes Association's 85th Scientific Sessions showed that Abbott's (NYSE: ABT) Healthy Food Rx 'food is medicine' program helped people living with diabetes to eat better and feel healthier, with participants reporting improved diet quality and health status.

This study is one of the few randomized controlled clinical trials examining the impact of food is medicine programs. Conducted by the Public Health Institute Center for Wellness and Nutrition (PHI CWN), this clinical trial assessed the impact of Abbott's Healthy Food Rx in a highly food insecure, low-income, community-based setting of 364 people living with diabetes over a six-month period. The Healthy Food Rx program provides home-delivered, meal-based healthy food boxes accompanied by nutrition education to help address diabetes.

Key study results include: Improved diet quality: Healthy Food Rx participants reported significantly increased vegetable consumption compared to the control group (0.37 vs. 0.03 increased servings per day; p = 0.007), and increased fruit consumption compared to control group (0.3 vs. 0.2 increased servings per day, p = 0.232).

Improved health status: Healthy Food Rx participants reported significantly greater improvements in self-reported physical health status over six months (from 38% to 63%, p < 0.001), compared to the control group (from 47% to 50%, p=0.453; between group p