A new study published in Current Developments in Nutrition suggests that eating one avocado per day may increase diet quality, thereby decreasing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The randomized controlled trial included over 1,000 participants 25 years or older who were identified as having abdominal obesity. The participants were divided into two groups: the first group was provided with one avocado per day over the 26-week trial, while the other group maintained their usual diet. Both groups had their dietary quality assessed at four time points throughout the study using a questionnaire called the Healthy Eating Index-2015.
The results showed that participants who had one avocado per day had a greater increase in their diet quality during the 26-week trial compared to the control group. The participants who were provided with one avocado per day tended to eat more vegetables, less sodium, less sugar, and fewer refined grains.
The authors determined that one of the reasons for the dietary changes was that participants were using the avocados to replace less healthy foods that were higher in sodium, sugar, and refined grains. The authors classified avocados as a vegetable in the study, which explained most of the increase in vegetable intake in those participants. While the authors were not surprised that avocados tended to improve dietary quality, they were pleasantly surprised at how many participants in the study were able to improve their dietary quality through such a simple intervention.
Poor diet quality increases the risk of many health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease. Therefore, supplementing with avocados may ultimately help prevent chronic health conditions and improve longevity. In addition to the advantages of replacing less healthy options, avocados are rich in nutrients and fiber, and previous research has suggested that people who regularly consume avocados tend to have higher diet quality.
Sources: Current Developments in Nutrition, Science Daily
