A new study has found that giving heart failure patients meals designed just for their medical needs can help them recover better and stay out of the hospital.
The study, published in BMC Nutrition, showed that these specially prepared meals—called medically tailored meals (MTM)—greatly improved patients’ nutrition and reduced the chance of returning to the hospital soon after being discharged.
Heart failure is a condition where the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. People with this condition often feel tired, have trouble breathing, and can have swelling in their legs. These patients are also at high risk of poor nutrition, especially after being in the hospital.
Poor nutrition can slow down recovery and lead to muscle loss, which is known as sarcopenia. Both malnutrition and sarcopenia can make patients more likely to be readmitted to the hospital soon after they leave.
To test whether meals designed to meet medical and dietary needs could help, a research team led by Dr. Charlene Compher at the University of Pennsylvania worked with two local nutrition groups to provide meals to 46 patients after they left the hospital.
Some patients received seven meals per week (one per day), while others received 21 meals per week (three per day) for four weeks.
The researchers spoke to the patients by phone at the beginning of the study, and again 30 and 60 days after they went home. They asked about diet habits, changes in health, and whether the patients had been readmitted to the hospital.
The results were clear: patients who received at least seven medically tailored meals per week had much better nutrition and were at lower risk for muscle loss. Their overall health improved in the weeks after discharge.
Both groups—those receiving seven meals and those receiving 21—showed better adherence to the heart-healthy eating recommendations set by the American Heart Association.
Perhaps most importantly, the number of patients who returned to the hospital within 30 days was far below the usual rates seen across the country. Only 9% of patients receiving 21 meals were readmitted, and just 12.5% of those getting seven meals returned.
These numbers are significantly lower than the national average for heart failure patients, where hospital readmission within a month is a common and costly problem.
Dr. Compher said the study shows that even a small intervention—just one medically tailored meal a day—can make a big difference. Not only does it help patients eat better and follow dietary advice, but it also reduces the chances of being hospitalized again. That means better outcomes for patients and lower costs for the healthcare system.
The researchers concluded that providing at least seven medically tailored meals per week to people recovering from heart failure and at risk of poor nutrition is a smart and effective approach. It helps people regain strength, follow a heart-healthy diet, and avoid the stress and danger of being readmitted to the hospital so soon after leaving.
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The research findings can be found in BMC Nutrition.
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