Daily avocado and mango consumption improves blood vessel function, study finds
A US study involving 82 adults with prediabetes showed improved vascular health after eight weeks of eating these fruits.
Researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology found that eating one avocado and one cup of mango daily for eight weeks improved blood vessel function in 82 adults with prediabetes, according to a report by the Times of India.
The study, published by the Journal of the American Heart Association, involved participants who were generally healthy non-smokers, overweight or living with obesity, with a mean age of 45 years.
One group consumed the daily fruit portion, while a control group received an energy-matched diet where the fruits were replaced with low-fat, low-fibre foods. Women in the trial received approximately 1,500 calories daily, while men received about 1,750 calories.
Flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how blood vessels relax, rose to 6.7% in the fruit group but fell to 4.6% in the control group. Men in the fruit group also saw a reduction of about 1.9 mmHg in central diastolic blood pressure, whereas the control group saw an increase of about 5 mmHg.
The researchers noted that participants' weights did not change because the fruit was part of a calorie-controlled diet. However, the study did not find improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, or inflammatory markers.
The researchers stated that longer studies are required to see if these vascular improvements lead to clinical outcomes, as the trial lasted only eight weeks.