The fact that diet can impact an individual’s health is well acknowledged by healthcare providers worldwide. People who have access to adequate nutrition are more likely to have strong immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and they live longer.
The reasons for this are myriad, complex, and not yet well understood. Some research has shown that a diet rich in added sugars, saturated and trans fats and excess sodium may induce chronic inflammation Trusted Source — an underlying risk factor in the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, poor gut health, and other chronic diseases. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Trusted Source, the core of a healthy diet is built on high intakes of a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages, including:
fruits
vegetables
whole grains
low and non-fat dairy
lean proteinhealthy fats and oils.
Added sugar, salt, saturated fats, and alcohol intake should be limited for good health.
Some diets Trusted Source that may bring health benefits include the Mediterranean dietTrusted Source, dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH Trusted Source), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Healthy Eating My Plate approach it is focused on the increased consumption of a variety of whole, minimally-processed plant-based foods, and limited intakes of highly processed foods rich in added sugar, oil, and salt.
Foods that proponents claim have medicinal properties, often due to supposed high levels of a particular micronutrient or biomolecule — sometimes referred to as functional foods Trusted Source — are of particular interest by people who consider food as medicine.
These include a variety of herbs and spices, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables.
The “food as medicine” approach to health management challenges the construct of conventional medicine, which relies primarily on technological medical advancements to manage health and disease with pharmaceutical drugs.
It is worth noting that conventional, Western medicine does prescribe dietary and lifestyle changes as a first-line treatment for some conditions, notably polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS Trusted Source).
However, the focus is on the balance of macronutrients in the diet, and there is as yet little clarity as to what that should look like in humans, as outlined in a paper published in Nature Trusted Source.
Benefits
Here are some benefits of a “food as medicine” healthcare approach.
Disease management
Medical nutrition therapy Trusted Source is a part of evidence-based health practice that uses diet and food to support the treatment of diseases, and it is a clear demonstration of the role that diet and food play in managing chronic disease.
For instance, an increase in dietary fiber supports Trusted Source lower blood sugar levels in persons with pre-diabetes or diabetes, reducing the occurrence of nerve and blood vessel damage associated with high blood sugar levels.Improvements in diet quality can also reduce disease symptoms and improve quality of life.
One study Trusted Source suggests that a modified Mediterranean diet can reduce pain, fatigue, and discomfort in persons with lipoedema, a condition where there is an abnormal accumulation of fat in the lower extremities.
Likewise, observational studies identified that a healthful diet during breast cancer treatment may reduce Trusted Source negative symptoms caused by cancer treatment, including nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Cost-effective
The prevalence of chronic diseases has increased worldwide, along with associated healthcare costs.
In 2010, an estimated 86%Trusted Source — over $400 billion — of healthcare costs in the U.S. alone were due to treating patients with at least one chronic disease. These costs are shared between public resources and patients’ out-of-pocket expenses.
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