Living in food deserts linked to higher risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

Patients with atrial fibrillation living in food deserts face more than double the risk of ischaemic stroke and nearly four times the risk of death, new research has found.

Food deserts – areas where residents live more than a mile from a full-service supermarket – were linked to worse outcomes in people with irregular heart rhythms.

Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine analysed electronic health records from 1,553 patients treated for atrial fibrillation (AF) in the New Orleans area between 2010 and 2019.

AF is a condition that causes an irregular heartbeat, raising the risk of clots and strokes.

Using federal maps of food deserts, the team grouped 1,115 patients who lived inside them and 438 who lived outside.

After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, common conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and medication use including blood thinners, the differences were marked.

Living in a food desert was linked to a 2.21-times higher risk of ischaemic stroke – when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain – and a 3.84-times higher risk of death over five years.

The combined risk of hospitalisation, stroke or death was 42 per cent higher.

Dr Nassir Marrouche, director of the Tulane University Heart and Vascular Institute, said the findings highlight the need for greater cardiovascular screening in vulnerable communities.

He said: “This research shows that for patients with AF, the environment they live in, the basic infrastructure of their neighbourhood, can be just as important as the care they receive in the clinic.

“Something as fundamental as access to healthy food could literally save lives.”

The team used the REACHnet research database to identify patients and matched their postcodes to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Access Research Atlas. Standard survival curves and risk models were applied to compare outcomes.

The authors suggest clinicians screen for food access issues and link patients to nutrition support services.

They also say policymakers could improve access to affordable food in neighbourhoods where medically vulnerable residents live.

Dr Marrouche said: “At the Tulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD) Center, our research team is committed to addressing the specific needs of the New Orleans community

“Early detection through expanded screening efforts can save lives in these vulnerable communities where we’ve unearthed these striking disparities.

“By focusing on local data and real-world health disparities, we’re working to create more inclusive models of care and improve cardiovascular outcomes where it’s needed most.”