Food Insecurity – The Early Career Voice

Afraid of What’s in Vaccines? Here Are 5 Things You Ingest or are Exposed to Everyday Without Thinking Twice About Their Effects on Your Body and Heart Health

March 7, 2022February 22, 2022 Kyla Lara-Breitinger, MD

The American divide regarding the COVID-19 vaccine is a passionate topic for everyone. This article is not intended to prove to readers why getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is safe but to provide some insight on the daily decisions we don’t think twice about that have both theoretical and established health consequences.

The beef you eat and the milk you drink: Many farm-raised cattle are injected with artificial growth-promoting hormones such as oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone and melengestrol to promote rapid meat production. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a genetically-engineered synthetic hormone used to increase milk production in cattle, which then communicates to your liver to increase the production of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). Although no systemic studies have directly researched the health effects of these hormones in the body, associations with DNA damage, infertility, premature puberty and risk for breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancer have been found retrospectively^1,2.
Ultra-processed foods: How often are you eating chips, bagels, pizza, soda, and other highly-processed food items without thinking twice about how they are manufactured? Based on the NOVA system classification, ultra-processed foods go beyond the addition of salt, sweeteners, or fat and include artificial flavors and preservatives that increase the shelf-life in your kitchen cupboards, preserve the texture of foods and increase their palatability to leave you craving for more. More and more studies are being published linking these foods to heart disease, heart attacks, and death from cardiac causes³.
Aspirin, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen: You likely reach for these common analgesics in your cabinet when you have pain, inflammation, or fever to alleviate the symptoms you are suffering from. However, there are risks and rare side effects associated with taking these drugs that include serious allergic reactions, kidney damage, bleeding, heart attacks, and stroke⁴. This is not meant to scare you into never taking these medications but to bring to light the many decisions we make that are more likely to benefit us rather than harm us.
Air pollution: How often do you grab your smartphone to check the air quality for the day? If the quality is less than ideal, how often does that impact whether you go outside? Poor air quality has been associated with heart disease, long-term respiratory problems, stroke, and low life-expectancy^5,6. However, the benefits of staying physically active outside, experiencing life events, socializing to improve mental health, and anything else that provides meaning in our lives by being outside likely outweight many of these risks.
The sun: Everyday, UV radiation from the sun and our atmosphere produce reactive oxygen species that cause direct DNA damage. This can lead to skin aging, skin cancer, and eye damage. Despite these risks, the benefits the sun provides to our planet and existence outweigh the risk and allow us to appreciate the positives⁷.

Every decision we make involves a conscious or subconscious risk assessment rooted in our values. As physicians, we are committed to providing medical advice based on whether the benefits outweigh the risks for our patients. While I can and will validate your concerns and fears, I hope that in the future you might consider seeing the forest for the trees.

References:

https://www.jswconline.org/content/68/4/325
http://ifrj.upm.edu.my/25%20(01)%202018/(1).pdf
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.01.047
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12325-019-01144-9
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.5487/TR.2014.30.2.071.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875213617301304
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13273-017-0002-0

“The views, opinions, and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness, and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke, or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

The Health Costs of Hunger Part 2: What we can do about it

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 Allison Webel, PhD

If you read my February blog, you know that food insecurity is a complex and overwhelming issue in the United States. In 2018, 37.2 million Americans were food insecure and of that, 6 million were children. The health consequences of food insecurity are significant and contribute to growing rates of chronic disease American’s have experienced in the past few decades. With recent changes to programs such as the supplemental nutritional assistance program (or SNAP), more Americans are at risk for becoming food insecure.

The lack of stable access to adequate safe food affects a persons’ health and well-being in profound ways. And as health care providers used to acting, we want to do something about food insecurity in our communities. But what can be done and where to start? To answer these critical questions, I spoke with Alissa Glenn, consultant of food as medicine program at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, who offered this advice.

Acknowledge that food insecurity is pervasive and talk about it. Hunger affects people of every gender, age, race and ethnicity throughout the United States. Yet, an important reason people often do not pursue supportive programs such as SNAP, is the longstanding stigma around assistance. One of the best ways to break this stigma is by talking openly and compassionately about food insecurity in your community.
Educate yourself and your colleagues. My February blog, had a lot of scientific resources on food insecurity hyperlinked. Last year, the AHA published a science advisory on innovative strategies to create a healthy and sustainable food system that can provide useful context. In addition, lay resources such as the Feeding America website and books like Stuffed and Starved can help explain this complex issue. Finally, consider inviting your local food bank to conduct a continuing education or a Grand Rounds session on addressing food insecurity in clinical settings. They can describe local resources in your own community and practice poverty simulations to help healthcare providers feel more comfortable discussing food insecurity with patients.
Ask your patients about it. Screening for food insecurity is recommended by groups such as the American Association of Pediatrics which suggests incorporating such a screening at every patient visit. I know, we have to fit so much into each patient encounter that trying to fit in one more thing seems impossible. But a quick, simple strategy is to administer the Hunger Vital Sign™ (Left Insert).

It can be hard for patients to acknowledge they are food insecure so helping them feel comfortable can result in more honest answers. Best practices include asking screening questions after the patient has been with the provider for a while, having a team member with a longstanding relationship ask screening questions, and if possible, to ask them via tablet or computer to reduce awkwardness.

Refer patients and family members who are food insecure and may need immediate help to local resources. This can include local food pantries, produce distribution sites, hot meals, and perhaps, onsite therapeutic food clinics. If your clinical setting is lucky enough to have to have a registered dietitian, involve them in developing a list of local resources to be distributed to patients. Case managers and outreach workers can also provide patients resources about short and long-term support for food insecurity. To find a food bank near you, please check out the Feeding America
Advocate for anti-hunger programs. SNAP is the first line of defense against food insecurity. For every meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides 9 meals. As the largest effort to address hunger in the U.S., changes to this program that reduce eligibility or benefits will increase the number of hungry Americans. Working with your community and engaging with your elected officials about how hunger influences the health care you provide are powerful ways to advocate for their continued support. To find out more about advocating for SNAP and the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, please review the Advocating for a Hunger-Free America
Use your professional associations. As healthcare professionals, we have a powerful voice. Every day we talk with dozens of patients and family members about how to improve their health and well-being. As you get more comfortable talking with your patients talking about food insecurity, you will likely hear stories about how hunger affects their health. Work with your professional associations to collect those stories and with one voice advocate for changes in practice, education, and policy.

Last month, the AHA released its 2030 Impact Goal. This ambitious statement recognized the importance of structural changes to achieve a world of more equitable, longer, healthier lives. It creates a framework from which professional organizations can harness the energy and experience of its members to initiate conversations about food insecurity, incorporate food insecurity education into the training of providers, increase food insecurity screening in clinical settings, and use the collective voice of 40 million volunteers and members to effectively advocate for anti-hunger programs.

There are many ways you can work with the AHA to reduce food insecurity in America. Consider working with your scientific council to propose a scientific statement on the effects of food insecurity on cardiovascular health, propose a workshop on clinical food insecurity protocols at a Scientific Sessions meeting, or write an editorial on your experiences helping a patient with food insecurity. The enormity of hunger in America, and its deleterious effects on the health of our patients, can be overwhelming. But even small steps such as reading a book on food insecurity, screening patients in your clinic, or advocating for structural change, can be powerful ways to help to reduce food insecurity.

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

The Health Costs of Hunger

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 Allison Webel, PhD

I hope someday we will be able to proclaim that we have banished hunger in the United States, and that we’ve been able to bring nutrition and health to the whole world. –Senator George McGovern

Food. Nothing is more basic to our existence than eating. However, in our modern era of plenty, we often take the presence of food for granted. That is, we take it for granted until we no longer have access to it or it makes us sick.

Food insecurity, when individuals lack access to adequate and safe food due to limited resources, is pervasive in the United States. In 2018, 37.2 million Americans were food insecure and of that, 6 million were children. A recent analysis found that 20-50% of college students were food insecure and hunger affects their ability to learn, be economically stable, and navigate social situations. While food insecurity tends to be higher in rural areas, it affects people of every gender, age, race and ethnicity throughout the United States.

The health consequences of food insecurity are well-described and have a disproportionate impact on cardiovascular health. In children, food insecurity is associated with birth defects, cognitive and behavioral problems, increased rates of asthma, depression, suicide ideation, and an increased risk of hospitalization. In adults, food insecurity is linked to mental health problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Food insecurity affects health in multiple ways (Figure 1). Conceived of as a cyclical process (in which people have periods fluctuating between food adequacy and inadequacy), fewer dietary options lead to increased consumption of cheap, energy dense, but nutritionally poor foods. Over-consumption of these foods during periods of food adequacy can lead to weight gain and high blood sugar, and reduced consumption of food during food shortages can lead to weight loss and low blood sugar. These cycles are exacerbated by stress and result in obesity, high blood pressure, and ultimately diabetes and coronary artery disease. The cycle continues until access to adequate, safe, high-nutrition foods stabilizes.

As a driver of poor nutritional intake, food insecurity is among the leading causes of chronic disease-related morbidity. As such, there is increasing recognition that for many food insecurity is not behavioral challenge but a structural one. Indeed this is the reason for the creation and continued re-authorization of the supplemental nutritional assistance program (or SNAP) that in 2018 provided $60.8 billion to more than 40 million Americans. SNAP was initially conceived during the Great Depression as a strategy to stave off mass starvation while providing American farmers with a fair price for their surplus agricultural products. It has gone through many legislative and administrative updates since the 1930’s (for a full history, please see Dr. Marion Nestle’s recent review in the American Journal of Public Health) and today remains the 3^rd largest, and one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in the United States. Yet, despite its success at reducing food insecurity, today, proposals to reduce the monthly benefit levels and impose restrictions to limit access to SNAP are gaining political traction. If the proposed SNAP reforms were enacted, 2.2 million American households would no longer be eligible for SNAP and an additional 3.1 million households would receive reduced benefits–many of those affected would be elderly and disabled. Thus, the cycle of food insecurity and chronic disease would worsen.

Food nourishes us and provides the sustenance we need to get through each day with our health, livelihood, and dignity intact. While I have outlined the public health case for mitigating food insecurity; it is clear that food insecurity is not just a health issue, or even just a political issue. Above all else, it is a moral issue and one that we that we cannot be on the fence on. We must decide if today, in the richest country on the planet, at its most prosperous time in history, our friends, patients, and neighbors – men, women, and children who are just like us – should be hungry.

If your answer is no, then thankfully there is much that we can do about it. Check back for next month’s blog on strategies that health care providers, neighbors, citizens, and professional associations can do to help address food insecurity in America. In the meantime, please share your experiences addressing food insecurity in your own practice or community with me at @AllisonWebelPhD.