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Beyond GLP-1s: How Food-as-Medicine Can Improve Outcomes and Bend the Cost Curve

Prado Content team

October 9, 2023

GLP-1 medications deliver meaningful weight and glycemic benefits — but at steep and rising cost.New modeling (JAMA Health Forum) and payer guidance (ICER) show why pairing these drugs withmedically tailored nutrition can sustain results, improve adherence, and control spend.

Pairing GLP-1 therapy with structured, medically tailored nutrition to improve outcomes and value.

Quick take for healthcare provider: GLP-1s work — but their costs are explosive and adherence is fragile. Data suggest layering medically tailored meals (MTMs) during initiation and maintenance can help sustain weight loss and glycemic benefits, reduce dose escalation, and improve payer ROI.

Study Overview

JAMA Health Forum modeling projects significant spending on GLP-1s if used broadly for obesity and diabetes. ICER’s 2024 guidance recommends adjunct lifestyle and nutrition interventions to sustain outcomes and improve cost-effectiveness.

Key Findings

Weight & A1c: MTMs improve early adherence and glycemic durability.
Costs: Bundling MTMs may reduce long-term GLP-1 spend by slowing dose escalation and dropout.
Payers: Coverage models are emerging for nutrition + meds.

Clinical Implementation Playbook

Screen: BMI Ñ30 or T2D; identify poor diet quality or food insecurity.
Prescribe: MTMs for at least 12 weeks when starting GLP-1.
Coordinate: RD touchpoints every 2–4 weeks to reinforce meal plan and track satiety.
Track: Weight, A1c, dose titration, adherence.

FAQs

Who is the ideal patient?
‍GLP-1 users early in treatment or struggling with adherence/side effects.
‍

What meal “dose” works?
‍~10–14 tailored meals/week for 12–16 weeks.
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How to measure impact?
‍Weight change, A1c, refill adherence, dose escalation, payer ROI.

Help patients — and payers — win with GLP-1 + Food-as-Medicine

Prado enables healthcare providers to prescribe medically tailored meals with HSA/FSA rails, integrate RD coaching, and track outcomes — without extra admin load.

medically tailored meals

Food as Medicine

nutrition-based healthcare

diet-sensitive chronic conditions

healthcare cost savings

value-based care nutrition

Prado Content team

The Prado Content Team is made up of food-for-health experts, clinicians, and nutrition specialists who create trusted, evidence-based content on Food as Medicine and preventive care.

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