Avocados (Persea americana, Lauraceae) are nutrient-dense and medium-caloric food. They provide dietary fiber, phytochemicals, mannoheptulose, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). In vivo studies indicate an association between lower body weight and avocado consumption. However, according to the authors, very few studies have examined the relationship between avocado intake and adiposity in humans, with inconsistent results. The authors state that no large epidemiological studies have evaluated the longitudinal relationship between avocado intake and changes in weight or obesity risk. Hence, the purpose of this longitudinal registry study was to examine the effect of habitual avocado intake on adult weight gain and changes in body mass index (BMI).

This analysis uses the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) cohort. The full cohort comprises approximately 96,000 people of which approximately 65% are women and 27% are African American. The participants lived in the United States or Canada at the time of enrollment. The…