Associations between Avocado Consumption and Diet Quality, Dietary Intake, Measures of Obesity and Body Composition in Adolescents: The Teen Food and Development Study

Abstract

Avocado is a nutrient-rich food that has been shown to benefit the health and diet quality of adults. In this paper, we examined if habitual intake of avocado among adolescents is associated with their diet quality, food and nutrient intake, and measures of obesity and body composition. Participants aged 12–18 years old (n = 534) from selected public and Adventist middle-high schools reported their dietary intake in a web-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); anthropometrics were measured during school visits. Diet quality (DQI-I) and avocado intake were calculated from the FFQ; BMI z-scores (BMIz), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and %body fat (%BF) were determined from the anthropometric data. Compared to non-consumers, avocado consumers had significantly higher covariate-adjusted mean scores on total DQI-I (68.3 vs. 64.6) and energy-adjusted mean scores on variety (18.8 vs. 18.0) and adequacy (36.4 vs. 33.4). Avocado consumption was significantly associated with DQI-I components adequacy (β [SE] = 0.11 [0.03]) and moderation (β [SE] = 0.06 [0.03]) but not with BMIz, WHtR, FM, FFM, and %BF. Mean intakes of fruits, vegetables, and plant protein foods, total and vegetable proteins, dietary fiber, retinol, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium were significantly higher for avocado consumers; saturated and trans fats intakes were significantly higher for non-consumers. In our adolescent population, avocado consumption was associated with higher diet quality and intake of plant-based foods and shortfall nutrients, but not with measures of obesity and body composition. Studies are needed to determine the optimal amount of avocado that would confer health benefits during adolescence.

Sustainable choices of plant-based (‘super’) foods: examining the consumption patterns of German consumers on avocados

“…An occasional monthly consumption can still be considered a moderate frequency of consumption. By comparison, in the United States, where half of the world’s avocado production is consumed, these fruits were shown to be consumed weekly by the majority ( 80 ). The use of these products in the habitual diet of consumers in Germany remains low for now.…”

Posible inducción de resistencia sistémica a Lasiodiplodia theobromae en aguacate (Persea americana Mill.) en condiciones semicontroladas en La Molina

“…Planning a healthy diet, avocado consumption can fit into a full range of dietary plans (Segovia-Siapco et al, 2021). Avocado fruit has a nutritional profile that contains a high content of unsaturated fatty acids and provides vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, E, K, folic acid, biotin and elements such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, sodium and potassium (Romero, 2019).…”