Already on blood pressure pills? Healthy groceries still lowered it more.
People say: “Does food still matter once you take pills?” We read the study.
Randomised controlled trial (RCT). 176 people. 12 weeks of groceries/stipends, then 3 months with no intervention (6-month visit); recruited Aug 2022 - May 2025.
A trial. Chance decided who did what.
Who: Black adults (self-identified) in Boston-area communities with few grocery stores and lower income, on stable antihypertensive medication for 6 months, clinic SBP 120 to <150 mmHg; mean age 60.1, 80.7% female; excluded diabetes. 173 analysed for the primary outcome at 3 months, 166 at 6 months
- Top BP number-5 mmHgvs the cash group
- 3 months after stop-4 mmHgat clinic checks
- LDL cholesterol-7 mg/dLafter 12 weeks
More to know, from our read of the paper:
- Groceries and weekly dietitian counseling were given together, so the effect of the food alone cannot be separated; the grocery group also got more dietitian attention than the cash group (authors' limitation)
- Comparison group got three $500 cash stipends + a DASH handout, not usual care; there was no usual-care arm
- Population: Black adults in lower-income Boston neighbourhoods with few grocery stores, mostly women (81%), on BP medication, no diabetes. Do not generalise beyond that
- Groceries cost a median $212/week per family (incl. delivery and fees), above the $150/week families spent at baseline; weekly dietitian calls are more intensive than usual care
- The 6-month persistence (SBP -4.4 mmHg vs cash group) is for research-clinic BP. Ambulatory awake SBP was lower at 3 months (-3.3) but NOT at 6 months (-0.3, 95% CI -3.5 to 2.8). Say 'at clinic checks' for the after-stopping result
On top of pills, food still helped.
- Shop the DASH wayFruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, less salt.
- Add it, don't swapEveryone kept taking their pills.
- Get help planningA dietitian helped with every order.
176 Black adults in Boston who were already treated for high blood pressure took part in a randomized trial. For 12 weeks, half got weekly home-delivered DASH-style groceries plus a dietitian's help; the other half got three $500 payments and a DASH handout. The grocery group's top (systolic) blood pressure fell 5 mmHg more, and LDL cholesterol 7 mg/dL more. At clinic checks three months after the groceries stopped, systolic pressure was still 4.4 mmHg lower than in the cash group. Groceries and coaching came together, so the trial can't say which part did it.
Juraschek SP, Col H, Ferro K, Turkson-Ocran RAN, Cluett JL, Davis RB, Kraemer KM, McManus K, Mukamal KJ, Aidoo EL, Kwapong FL, Budu M, Patil D, Nartey S, Michetti J, Allison S, Mate-Kole M, Cao J, Grobman B, Seager R, Hines AL, Miller ER 3rd, Crews DC, Papajorgji-Taylor D, Fitzpatrick SL (2026). DASH-patterned groceries and effects on blood pressure in adults treated for hypertension: the GoFreshRx randomized trial. Nature Medicine.
Design: Randomised controlled trial (RCT) · randomized controlled trial (individually randomized, parallel, investigator-initiated; participants and dietitians unblinded, outcome assessors/analysts masked); 12-week intervention + 3-month maintenance phase without intervention
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04319-4
Goals:
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