Avocado Research Study

Study Description

The Department of Nutrition at LLU conducted a study on the effects of eating avocados on health related outcomes.  Thirty subjects were recruited to attend three clinics over the course of five weeks and were given all meals on those three days.  Each subject had the opportunity to eat a lunch with no avocados (the control lunch), a lunch with avocado replacing calories of the control lunch (avocado lunch) and a lunch with avocado added to the control lunch (avocado supplement lunch).  Blood was drawn from each participant at set intervals after lunch at which time they were asked to report their feelings of hunger or satisfaction.

Objectives

We hypothesized that the meails containing avocado would decrease the postprandial glycemic and insulinemic response, enhance satiety, decrease caloric intake and influence gastrointestinal peptides and hormones to better control food intake.

Specific aims:

• Determine the effect of incorporating avocados in a meal on the glycemic and insulinemic response
• Determine the effect of avocado containing meals on post ingestion feelings of satiety and subsequent food intake
• Examine the effect of avocado containing meals on blood concentrations of gastrointestinal peptides and hormones which control food intake and satiety 
• Determine the differing effects of adding vs. replacing avocado in a meal in the outcomes described above

Currently, glycemic and insulin indices, appetitie rating, energy intake, gastrointestinal peptides and hormones are being analyzed.  The study has been funded by the Hass Avocado Board in Irvine, California.