CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - As the US Congress continues to debate cuts to SNAP benefits, a new study from Northwestern Medicine shows a link between childhood food insecurity and heart disease risks in early adulthood.
The study, titled Early Childhood Food Insecurity and Cardiovascular Health in Young Adulthood was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
Newly published data from the study, spanning more than 2 decades, shows that among food-insecure kids, those without SNAP had significantly worse heart health by age 22, it also showed that children participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program showed healthier habits and were more likely to participate in a healthy level of physical activity.
The Northwestern researchers add that these findings add new urgency to debates over funding for SNAP, the largest federal nutrition assistance program, serving 41 million U.S. residents.
Most of the prior research linking food insecurity and heart health has focused on adults.