(P18-012-24) Effect of Daily Avocado Intake on Cardiovascular Health Assessed by Life’s Essential 8: An Ancillary Study of the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial

Objectives: Habitual avocado intake may improve cardiovascular health (CVH) by positively impacting diet quality and improving cardiovascular risk factors. The aim was to examine the effect of daily avocado intake for 6 months on CVH assessed using the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) metric in US adults with abdominal obesity.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data from the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial (HAT) was conducted. HAT was a multi-center, free-living, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial that enrolled 1008 participants aged ≥25 years with elevated waist circumference (males≥40 inches and females ≥35 inches). The Avocado Supplemented Diet (AVO) group was provided with and asked to consume one avocado daily for 6 months, and the Habitual Diet (HD) group followed their usual diet and lifestyle and limited their avocado intake to < 2 avocados per month. LE8 component scores for diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index (BMI), blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure were calculated for the HAT cohort by adapting the AHA’s method. The total LE8 score (range 0-100 points) was calculated as the unweighted average of the LE8 component scores. The primary analysis evaluated between-group differences in the change in the total LE8 score and LE8 component scores from baseline to 6 months using general linear models, with adjustment for study site and baseline scores.

Results: The analytical sample (n=969) included participants with data available at baseline and 6 months (females 72.9%; age 50.5 ± 14.0 years; BMI 33.0 ± 5.5 kg/m²). At baseline, both groups had a moderate total LE8 score (AVO: 66.55 ± 12.23; HD: 64.96 ± 12.32). While there were no between-group differences in the 6-month change in total LE8 score, the AVO group had a greater increase in LE8 component scores for diet (3.92 points; 95% CI 1.20, 6.64), sleep health (3.20 points; 95% CI 0.38, 6.02), and blood lipids (3.06 points; 95% CI 0.41, 5.71) at 6 months compared to the HD group.

Conclusions: Daily avocado intake for 6 months was not associated with a change in overall CVH in free-living adults with abdominal obesity. However, individual components of CVH including diet quality, sleep health, and blood lipids were improved with avocado intake.

Funding Sources: Hass Avocado Board