Food and Cardiometabolic Health: A Collaborative Study

By Wes Gibson

A recently published study¹ led by UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Center for Health Equity Research scientist Maha Almohamad, PhD, MS, highlights the significant role that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)² may play in mitigating the effects of very low food security on cardiometabolic conditions. The study, published in Nutrients, found that SNAP participation can buffer the negative effects of very low food security on cardiometabolic conditions through multiple mechanisms, underscoring the importance of strategic partnerships between research and clinical practice.

Initially funded by the Center for Nutrition Health Impact, Almohamad analyzed the relationship between food insecurity and nutrition security with diabetes among 486 participants for her dissertation. Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive approach, Almohamad and the team extended the analysis to examine hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes collectively. This broader analysis sheds light on the overall impact food and nutrition insecurity, have on cardiometabolic outcomes. Nutrition security is defined as availability, affordability and accessibility to healthy food. ^3,4

Among participants not receiving SNAP benefits, very low food security significantly increased the odds of having at least one cardiometabolic condition. In contrast, this association was not observed among participants receiving SNAP benefits. Additionally, higher nutrition security was associated with 41% lower odds of having at least one cardiometabolic condition, highlighting the critical role nutrition security plays in influencing cardiometabolic health.

These findings call for a shift in clinical practice, moving beyond a siloed focus on medical management towards a comprehensive, whole-person care approach in managing cardiometabolic health. Co-author and Director of the Stroke Transitions Education and Prevention (STEP) Clinic, Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH, notes that this calls for clinicians to consider how these cardiometabolic conditions impact a patient’s overall health.

This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that calls for interventions to address food and nutrition insecurity in a clinical care setting, as well as supporting participation in the SNAP program to those who are eligible.  Screening for participation in government assistance programs such as SNAP, as well as food insecurity and nutrition security status, which assesses accessibility, quantity and quality of available food, would provide healthcare providers with a more comprehensive understanding of factors influencing patients’ dietary patterns. This enables providers to identify  solutions to instill healthy diets to improve cardiometabolic conditions in their patients more effectively. 

Co-Investigators on this study from the School of Public Health include Ruosha Li, PhD, professor of Biostatistics and Data Science; Natalia Heredia, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences; Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD,, professor and Vice-Chair of Epidemiology and director, Center for Health Equity. External co-investigators on the publication included Janya Markand Dave, PhD, associate professor of Pediatrics-Nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine; and Eric Calloway, PhD, RDN, Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact.

1. Almohamad, M.; Li, R.; Heredia, N.I.; Dave, J.M.; Calloway, E.E.; Sharrief, A.; Sharma, S.V. SNAP Participation as a Moderator of Food and Nutrition Security and Combined Cardiometabolic Conditions: A Mixed Regression Approach. Nutrients 2025, 17, 576. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu17030576
2. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal government program that provides financial assistance to households with low incomes to supplement their grocery budget, aiming to help them maintain adequate nutrition and health, and reduce food insecurity
3. Mozaffarian, D.; Fleischhacker, S.; Andrés, J.R. Prioritizing Nutrition Security in the US. JAMA2021, 325, 1605–1606.
4. Calloway, E.E.; Carpenter, L.R.; Gargano, T.; Sharp, J.L.; Yaroch, A.L. Development of New Measures to Assess Household Nutrition Security, and Choice in Dietary Characteristics. Appetite2022, 179, 106288.

Calloway, E.E.; Carpenter, L.R.; Gargano, T.; Sharp, J.L.; Yaroch, A.L. Development of New Measures to Assess Household Nutrition Security, and Choice in Dietary Characteristics. Appetite 2022, 179, 106288.