Avocado consumption and markers of inflammation: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Authors: CHENG, FEON - Hass Avocado Board; FORD, NIKKI - Hass Avocado Board; WOOD, ALEXIS - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); TRACY, RUSSELL - University Of Vermont

Submitted to: European Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/9/2023
Publication Date: 3/22/2023
Citation: Cheng, F.W., Ford, N.A., Wood, A.C., Tracy, R. 2023. Avocado consumption and markers of inflammation: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). European Journal of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03134-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03134-8

Interpretive Summary: The current study investigated whether avocado consumption was associated with lower inflammation – a marker of cardiovascular disease risk. In an analysis of a large, population-based multi-ethnic cohort, we did not find significant differences in inflammation based on how frequently people consumed avocado (never vs. occasionally vs. frequently). These findings call into question whether consuming avocado can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Technical Abstract: Since avocado consumption has been linked to a possible reduction in inflammation, we investigated associations between avocado consumption and markers of inflammation in a population-based multi-ethnic cohort [Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)]. We used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at MESA exam 1 to capture avocado/guacamole consumption. To calculate daily servings of avocado/guacamole, we used both frequency and serving size data from the FFQ. We classified participants into three consumer groups: rare or never (daily serving<=0.03), medium (0.03