Lack of fresh food linked to signs of heart disease

A lack of access to nearby stores selling fresh food may increase residents’ risk of developing the signs of early heart disease, according to research conducted by Jeffrey Wing, assistant professor of Public Health at Grand Valley State University, and Ella August, clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

The research was published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

“The lack of healthy food stores may help explain why people in these neighborhoods have more heart disease,” said Wing. “The thought is that greater access to healthier foods may have promoted healthier diets and, in turn, less coronary plaque formation.”

Past studies found that limited fresh food choices and/or numerous fast food restaurants in poorer neighborhoods were linked to unhealthy diets. Wing said residents in these neighborhoods have a greater likelihood of early atherosclerosis (a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease), but no studies have examined which factors might cause this.

In this study, Wing and August explored how the limited availability of recreational facilities, healthy food stores, neighborhood walkability and social environments may contribute to the early stages of atherosclerosis. They found that healthy food stores within one mile of a residence was the only significant factor that reduced or slowed the progression of calcium buildup in coronary arteries.

Study Highlights

• A lack of access to nearby stores selling fresh food may increase residents’ risk of developing early heart disease.

• Healthy food stores located within one mile of participants’ homes reduced or slowed the progression of calcium buildup in heart arteries.

• Study results point to a need for greater awareness of the potential health threat posed by living in neighborhoods with scarce healthy grocery options.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Wing at (616) 331-5537 or [email protected].