Researchers in Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences found that eating one avocado per day may improve overall diet quality. Poor nutrition can lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease, and many Americans suffer from poor nutrition and fail to adhere to the key dietary recommendations laid out in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The study was led by Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences, and Penny Kris-Etherton, retired Evan Pugh University Professor of Nutritional Sciences.
Avocados are a nutrient-dense food, containing a lot of fiber and other important vitamins. The goal was to see if regular intake of this food would lead to an increase in diet quality. Previous observational research has suggested that avocado consumers have higher diet quality than non-consumers. We created this study to see if there’s a causal connection between eating avocados and eating a healthy diet.
Petersen explained that, since only 2% of Americans regularly consume avocados, the researchers were intrigued to see if including the fruit in a person’s daily diet could significantly enhance their nutritional content.
Researchers conducted phone interviews with participants before the study began and at a few points throughout the study to determine what their dietary intake was like in the previous 24 hours. They then evaluated their diets using the Healthy Eating Index to determine how well they adhered to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Conformity with the guidelines was used to assess the overall nutritional quality of the diet.
There were 1,008 participants in the study, which were divided into two groups. The two groups kept to their usual diet and restricted their avocado intake throughout the 26-week study, while the third group included a single avocado per day in their diet.
Petersen noted, “We observed a significant increase in the number of participants who adhered to dietary guidelines when they consumed an avocado each day.” Consuming an avocado a day seems to help folks adhere to dietary guidelines and enhance the nutritional content of their meals.
The findings of the study, which showed that consuming avocados every day enhanced dietary quality, left researchers in no doubt, but they were unable to predict the precise methods by which the participants were able to achieve this feat.
The participants were substituting avocados for foods with higher levels of refined grains and sodium, according to Petersen. The increase in vegetable consumption attributed to the avocado intake was seen in our study, but participants also used the avocados to replace some unhealthier options.
According to Petersen, having a poor diet substantially increases the risk for conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and many other preventable diseases.
Improved adherence to dietary guidelines can help reduce people’s risk of developing chronic conditions and prolong healthy life expectancy.
Petersen has conducted similar studies investigating the impact of food-based interventions, including the relationship between pistachios and diet quality, but said that more research is needed to determine what other Food-based strategies can be used to improve people’s adherence to dietary guidelines by improving their food intake.
In studies like this one, we can determine food-based ways to improve diet quality, but behavioral strategies are also needed to help people adhere to dietary guidelines and reduce their risk of chronic disease.
The study also features Sydney Smith and David M. Reboussin from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Alice H. Lichtenstein and Nirupa R. Matthan from Tufts University, Zhaoping Li from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Joan Sabate from Loma Linda University.
This investigation was supported by the Avocado Nutrition Center. Data analysis, interpretation, and publication of the study were independent of the funding source.