This episode of “Tomorrow’s Cure” delivers an American Heart Month discussion as the guests talk about heart health and how listeners can make improvements to their cardiovascular well-being at any age. Dr. Andres Acosta, gastroenterologist and obesity researcher at Mayo Clinic; Dr. Kevin Volpp, scientific lead for the Food Is Medicine initiative through the American Heart Association (AHA); and Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA, offer perspectives on both the persistent challenges and emerging opportunities in cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. even as prevention and treatment strategies continue to advance.
The role of nutrition is another focus of this episode. Dr. Volpp points to the AHA’s Food Is Medicine initiative, which is building evidence to treat healthy food like a medical therapy, especially for people with conditions such as heart failure, diabetes or obesity. Programs that provide medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions or nutrition coaching have shown promise in improving health and reducing hospital visits, sometimes within just weeks.