Eating Avocado Linked With Better Nutrient Intake, Diet Quality

A new study revealed that daily consumption of avocado could provide better nutrient intake and could lower body weight, BMI and waist circumference.

The study, published in the journal Internal Medicine Review, showed that people who eat avocado have higher intake of dietary fiber, good fats, total fats, folate, magnesium, potassium, copper and vitamins A and C than those who do not consume avocados.

"These findings indicate incorporating avocados could be one way for Americans to meet the recommended fruit and vegetable intake and potentially improve physiologic measures," said Nikki Ford, Director of Hass Avocado Board-which funded the study, in a press release. "We continue to encourage healthcare professionals to remain committed to recommending avocados as part of an overall healthy diet."

For the study, the researchers monitored the avocado consumption of 29,684 adults involved in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). On average, the participants consume about 76 grams of avocado per day. The fresh avocado intake was assessed using the 24-hour dietary recalls. Meanwhile, the researchers used the Healthy Eating Index-201 to measure the diet quality of participants and their adherence to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Aside from having overall better diet and nutrient intake, people who consumed avocado have lower intakes of total carbohydrates, added sugars and sodium than those who do not eat avocado. Additionally, avocado consumers were 33 percent less likely to be overweight or obese and 32 percent less likely to have a high waist circumference compared to non-consumers.

On average, people who eat avocado a day were 7.5 lbs lighter. Furthermore, avocado consumers also have 1 unit less in their BMI and 1.2-inch smaller waist circumference.

The researchers also observed that participants who consumed avocado have significantly lower incidence of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that increases the risk of heart disease and other health problems, including diabetes and stroke.