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Food insecurity linked to elevated mortality risk among cancer survivors
Researchers urge that cancer survivors with food insecurity get better access to food assistance programs
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA — Lack of access to healthy food is a threat to the lives of cancer survivors—a significant and often overlooked factor affecting their long-term health outcomes. A new study shows that those experiencing food insecurity had a 28 percent relative increase in risk of death as compared to those who were food secure.
In the study, published recently in JAMA Health Forum, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine analyzed data from more than 5,000 respondents who shared their cancer diagnoses as part of a nationwide, government-sponsored health survey.
“Food matters in cancer care and outcomes,” said study senior author Jaya Aysola MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine and executive director of the Centers for Health Equity Advancement at Penn Medicine. “The results show that simple, integrated solutions can help prolong the lives of cancer survivors by helping put healthy food on their table.”
Addressing root causes
Food insecurity, estimated to affect about 40 million people in the US alone, is the condition in which good nutrition is of limited or uncertain availability. It is considered a significant socioeconomic factor in overall health and has been linked to higher risks of chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, some mental health disorders, hypertension, kidney disease, and colorectal cancer.
The investigators made use of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011 and 2012 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), as well as the U.S. National Death Index through 2019. Their analysis covered a total of 5,603 adults 40 and older who reported having had a cancer diagnosis on the NHIS and answered its questions relating to food security.
A total of 579 (10.3%) of the respondents reported food insecurity. This group had higher all-cause mortality—overall risk of death—through 2019, compared to cancer survivors who did not report food insecurity. After adjustment for potentially relevant differences between respondents, such as sex, age, smoking status, and the presence of other illnesses, there remained a significant mortality gap between the groups—the food-insecure group having an estimated 28 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Analyses of subsets of the respondents also showed that respondents reporting food insecurity and non-participation in government food assistance programs had about 42 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality—and 42 percent of increased risk of cancer mortality.
This is the first study to review and find a connection between food insecurity and mortality in people with cancer. “Screening for food-insecurity in clinical practice, expanding food assistance program eligibility, and guiding people to resources may help reduce this apparent connection,” according to John Lin, a medical student and HEAL (Health Equity Advancement Lab) fellow at the Centers for Health Equity Advancement, and the study’s first author.
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The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $580 million awarded in the 2023 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Doylestown Health, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.9 billion enterprise powered by more than 48,000 talented faculty and staff.
Journal
JAMA Health Forum
Article Title
Mortality Outcomes for Survivors of Cancer With Food Insecurity in the US
Article Publication Date
20-Jun-2025
International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine tackles trending health topics from ultra-processed foods to Ozempic in Washington, DC, Aug. 14-16
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Are some ultra-processed foods good for you? Could diet change be better than Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss? What role does nutrition play in breast and prostate cancers, menopause, and Alzheimer’s disease? These are just a few of the trending nutrition topics that more than 25 of the world’s leading nutrition experts will examine at the 13th annual International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine from Aug. 14 to 16 in Washington, D.C.
“We will be unveiling new information on beating cancer, new and disturbing findings about weight loss drugs, and surprises on processed foods,” says Physicians Committee President Neal Barnard, MD, FACC. “We’ll hear new results on the power of vegan diets and the disasters that can occur with some other dietary approaches.”
Hundreds of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, dietitians, nutrition educators, and others will learn about the latest research on nutrition and how to use it in their everyday practice. Highlights from the three-day agenda include:
- Opening Remarks: Mitchell Katz, MD, deputy editor of JAMA Internal Medicine and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, will kick off the conference on Thursday, and Bobby Mukkamala, MD, the new American Medical Association president, will provide opening remarks on Friday.
- Breast Cancer: Kristi Funk, MD, and Rowan Chlebowski, MD, PhD, will share the latest research on lifestyle and breast cancer treatment and prevention.
- Menopause: Vanita Rahman, MD, will discuss menopause and hormone therapy, while Anthony Scialli, MD, takes on the “Menopause Myth.”
- Prostate Cancer: Dean Ornish, MD, will discuss research showing how lifestyle can slow, stop, or reverse prostate cancer progression; Edward Giovannucci, MD, ScD, will present on the role nutrition plays in prostate cancer; and Peter Carroll, MD, MP, covers screening, treatment planning, and prevention.
- Ultra-Processed Foods: Christopher Gardner, PhD, will discuss heart health and ultra-processed foods, and Michael Greger, MD, will look at ultra-processed plant-based meat versus meat.
- GLP-1 Agonists: Vanita Rahman, MD, will share the latest on GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss, and Ben Urick, PharmD, PhD, will discuss clinical outcomes and medical costs for patients with obesity.
- Healthy Communities: Angelia Dickinson, MS, ALC, ADC, DipACLM (Africatown, Ala.) and Shauna Parisian (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota) will discuss community-focused strategies for promoting health and sustainability.
Additional topics include Alzheimer’s disease, lowering cholesterol, supplements, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, nutrition and skin health, and more.
At the Friday night dinner program, Dr. Gardner will discuss the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is expected to be released by the end of this year. In December 2024, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report called for the Dietary Guidelines to emphasize plant-based diets and recommend water rather than cow’s milk as the beverage of choice.
The conference, which includes plant-based breakfasts and lunches, is jointly provided by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health advocacy organization of more than 17,000 physician members, and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, health coaches, and pharmacists can earn up to 20.75 continuing education credits for attending.
Learn more about the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine and register at PCRM.org/ICNM.
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