Scientists from Tufts University and elsewhere found that eating one avocado per day does not reduce belly fat effectively.
Abdominal obesity is an excess weight that develops over time around the center of the body, also called visceral fat.
Excess belly fat is linked to higher risks of heart and metabolic disorders.
Previous research has found that excess belly fat can be dangerous because it surrounds internal organs and puts you at greater risk for developing several kinds of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and liver problems.
Short-term clinical studies have found that regular avocado intake could boost healthy body weight, belly fat, and satiety.
Avocados are full of vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.
They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Avocados contain high levels of healthy, beneficial fats, which can help a person feel fuller between meals.
In the current study, researchers examined whether eating 1 large avocado per day for 6 months could help reduce belly fat.
They tested more than 1000 free-living individuals with a big waist circumference and compared the effect with a habitual diet.
The researchers found no strong differences in belly fat between the Avocado Supplemented and Habitual Diet Groups.
In addition, no big group differences were found for inflammation and components of the metabolic syndrome.
However, there were modest reductions in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, “bad” cholesterol) in the Avocado Supplemented compared with the Habitual Diet Group.
Changes in the other factors, such as body weight, body mass index, insulin, very low-density lipoprotein concentrations, and total cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were similar between the 2 groups.
Based on the findings, the team concludes that the addition of 1 avocado per day to the habitual diet for 6 months in free-living individuals with big waist circumferences does not reduce belly fat.
This eating habit may have minimal effect on the risks of heart and metabolic disorders.
The research was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and conducted by Alice H Lichtenstein et al.
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