Understanding Food Insecurity, Achieving Food Equity

SOCIETY: AGA Food insecurity is a pervasive problem that affects communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and those with disabilities to a greater degree than the majority community. Lack of access to healthy food has serious consequences on the expression, diagnosis, and treatment of GI tract diseases. Food insecurity affects dietary choices which in turn affects the microbiome which can then affect the outcome of many different illnesses. The gastroenterologist should be able to identify those at risk of Food Insecurity, recognize the increase risk when vulnerabilities overlap and be able to mitigate that risk by connecting patients to community resources.