Food insecurity a growing problem
“With more communities being pushed into state of war, drought, and famine globally, it is important to track impact of food insecurity and low quality food on common medical conditions like diabetes in our vulnerable communities,” Romesh K. Khardori, MD, professor of medicine: endocrinology, and metabolism at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, said in an interview.
Dr. Khardori, who was not involved in the study, said he was not surprised by the current study findings.
“Type of food, amount of food, and quality of food have been stressed in diabetes management for more than 100 years,” he said. “Organizations charged with recommendations, such as the ADA and American Dietetic Association, have regularly updated their recommendations,” he noted. “It was not surprising, therefore, to find food insecurity and low quality tied to poor glycemic control.”
The take-home message for clinicians is to consider the availability and quality of food that their patients are exposed to when evaluating barriers to proper glycemic control, Dr. Khardori emphasized.
However, additional research is needed to explore whether the prescription of a sufficient amount of good quality food would alleviate the adverse impact seen in the current study, he said.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The researchers and Dr. Khardori had no financial conflicts to disclose.