New Study Finds That Garden-Based Interventions At School Can Help Improve Blood Sugar And Bad Cholesterol Levels Among Children: A Valuable Approach For Low-Income Communities With Food Insecurity And Lower Access To Resources

Approximately two hundred and eighty-three thousand Americans under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The World Health Organization (WHO) also released a statement surrounding diabetes risk among children in August of 2022, noting a global health concern.
“The frequency of diabetes is rising around the world, and studies are showing children are at an increased risk of developing the disease,” the WHO said.
“Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, causing chronic problems and early death.”
And although sugar does not directly cause diabetes, both children and adolescents are more likely to receive a diabetes diagnosis if they are overweight. This presents a significant problem since there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.
Between 2017 and 2020, 14.7 million U.S. children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 were affected by obesity. This translates to nearly 20% of youth.
Obesity is also much more prevalent among children from low-income communities, which lack access to resources, high food quality, and food security.
In fact, the highest obesity prevalence of over 26% percent is among Hispanic children. Next, nearly 25% of non-Hispanic Black children have obesity.
These figures are drastically higher than the 16% of non-Hispanic White children and the 9% of non-Hispanic Asian children who are severely overweight.
This points to the dire need for accessible, whole foods in low-income communities– a cause that researchers from UTHealth Houston recently investigated.

diyanadimitrova – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual child
The cluster randomized controlled trial focused on Texas Sprouts, a nutrition, gardening, and cooking intervention that was implemented in elementary schools throughout Austin, Texas.
This study ultimately revealed that school garden-based interventions have the potential to improve metabolic parameters– including cholesterol and blood sugar– among high-risk minority youth.
Right now, American dietary guidelines recommend that children between the ages of 9 and 13 eat at least two and a half cups of vegetables per day– a goal that Texas Sprouts helps facilitate in the face of limited resources.
So, from 2016 to 2019, the researchers analyzed 16 low-income elementary schools located in the greater Austin area.
The schools had a majority population of Hispanic students and were randomly assigned to either delayed intervention or Texas Sprouts intervention.
Texas Sprouts’ efforts took place over the nine-month school year and involved the creation of various engagement initiatives that focused on cultivation and nutrition education.
A Garden Leadership Committee was created, as well as a quarter-acre teaching garden and 18 student nutrition, gardening, and cooking lessons– which were taught by educators throughout the school year. Finally, parents were provided with nine monthly lessons to complete with their children.
The delayed intervention did receive the exact same resources. However, it was deployed the following academic year.
In order to analyze the effects of these efforts, the researchers measured each student’s height and weight, as well as body mass index (BMI).
In addition, the students’ insulin, insulin resistance, glucose, and lipid panel levels were tested.
The team found that compared to elementary schools in the control group, Texas Sprouts students saw a reduction in blood sugar levels over the last three months.
Bad cholesterol was also reduced by 6.4 mg/DL, which indicates a reduced risk of prediabetes and diabetes among this youth population.
So, equipped with these findings, the researchers are now recommending that more elementary schools implement similar garden-based interventions.
“Small increases in dietary fiber and vegetable intake, as well as reductions in added sugar intake, may have combined effects on lowering bad cholesterol and improving glucose control,” said Adriana Pérez, the study’s senior author.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in JAMA Network Open, visit the link here.
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