For a healthier diet, eat an avocado a day

In guacamole, in a salad or on toast with smoked salmon… Avocado is a favorite food both at brunch and as an aperitif. And it’s good, since its consumption would allow us to have a healthier overall diet. This is according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania (United States) published in February 2024 in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition.

Also read“We are what we eat”: the pillars of healthy eating to promote longevity

The researchers wanted to know if eating an avocado per day made a person’s diet healthier in general, and if it reduces the risk of cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc.). They thus measured the Healthy Eating Index, also called HEI-2015, of 1008 American adults (72% of whom were women) suffering from abdominal obesity. This index measures the quality of the individual’s diet in relation to the American Dietary Guidelines (Dietary Guidelines for Americans). The participants were divided into two groups. The first was asked to consume an avocado (about 168 grams) per day. The participants in the second group had to make no changes to their diet and limit their consumption of avocados to two per month. After 26 weeks, the scientists compared their HEI scores and their risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases.

More vegetables, less salt and sugar

Conclusions? “Consumption of an avocado per day for 26 weeks promotes nutrition closer to the American dietary guidelines,” reports Kristina Petersen, co-author of this study. A greater increase in the HEI-2015 score was observed in the group that consumed avocado. And this, without any difference according to Body Mass Index or age group. Participants in the first group consumed more fruits and vegetables, and less sodium (salt), refined grains, red meat, saturated fatty acids and added sugars than adults in the group that did not change their diet.

Also readTrue or false: five preconceived ideas about the lawyer

No impact on cardiometabolic risk

As a quality diet is highly associated with better health, the study also aims to establish a link between the daily consumption of an avocado and the reduction of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases. “Changes in HEI scores over the 26-week period did not predict such a reduction in risk,” the conclusion reads. “More research is needed to determine the extent to which the quality of the diet can be improved to reduce these risk factors,” say the scientists.

Finally, the researchers first sought to test whether the consumption of an avocado per day for 26 weeks “reduces visceral adiposity in a group of people with abdominal obesity.” And the results were negative.