Beschreibung:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Primary risk factors includes high serum cholesterol and high percent body fat composition. Diets high in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) have been shown to improve serum lipid profile without negatively altering body composition. Our study sought to determine if daily ingestion of avocados, a food high in MUFA, elicits the same response in healthy people. Free‐living, healthy male and female students (age 18–40) completed a parallel design; a four‐week avocado‐free (AF) run‐in followed by a random assignment to one of two eight‐week treatment periods: AF or avocado‐enriched (AE) treatment. Body composition and serum lipid analyses were measured at the beginning and end of each period. Neither treatment produced a change in total, LDL, HDL cholesterols, triacylglycerides, or body composition. The AE group resisted an increase in the non‐HDL:HDL ratio exhibited by the AF treatment. Though improvement in total serum lipid profile wasn't observed, results suggest that an avocado‐enriched diet might reduce cardiovascular disease risk in a healthy population. Additionally, a diet rich in avocado does not contribute to changes in body composition, suggesting that foods high in MUFA do not alter body composition in free‐living, healthy people.Grant Funding Source: Agricultural Research Institute and College of Agriculture, Cal Poly Pomona