The Effect of Avocado on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors
Condition: Cardiovascular Disease; Hyperlipidemia
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Hyperlipidemias
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The investigators propose to evaluate the effects of avocado consumption (by incorporating 1
      unit of fruit per day into a healthy diet) on multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
      factors. The investigators will compare chronic consumption of a moderate fat blood
      cholesterol-lowering diet incorporating one avocado per day versus a blood
      cholesterol-lowering Lower-Fat diet on established CVD risk factors including lipids and
      lipoproteins, and blood pressure (BP). The investigators also will evaluate the effects of an
      avocado diet on several emerging CVD risk factors. To elucidate the specific benefits of
      avocado and its accompanying bioactives on the aforementioned risk factors, the investigators
      will compare the avocado diet with a diet that has the same macronutrient profile (but
      without the avocado).
    

Detailed description: 
      A randomized, 3-period cross-over, controlled feeding study was designed to compare the
      effects of a moderate fat blood cholesterol-lowering diet that provides one avocado per day
      (total fat = 34% total energy, MUFA=18%, SFA <7%) to an Average American diet (AAD),
      Lower-Fat diet (total fat = 24% total energy, SFA <7%), and Moderate Fat diet (with
      equivalent fatty acid profile to the avocado diet) without avocado. The study population
      consists of 40 overweight (BMI25-35 kg/m2) men and women with moderately elevated LDL-C,
      between the25-90th percentiles from NHANES. The investigators hypothesize that a moderate fat
      heart-healthy diet, including 1 avocado per day will reduce CVD risk factors including
      lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, lipoprotein particle size, markers of oxidative stress
      and inflammation, blood pressure and reverse cholesterol transport compared to an AAD,
      Lower-Fat diet, and moderate fat diet without avocado.
    

Intervention name(s): Avocado Diet; Lower-Fat Diet; Moderate Fat Diet
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The avocado diet will be designed to ensure that all subjects incorporate 1 avocado (~136g) per day into a moderate fat diet. Both the Lower-Fat diet and avocado diet will be matched for SFA and dietary cholesterol, but will differ in total fat, primarily MUFA as provided by the avocado. The moderate fat plus avocado diet will provide 34% of calories from total fat, 18% calories from MUFA, and 9% calories from PUFA.; The Lower-Fat diet will provide ~24% of calories from fat and meet the SFA and cholesterol recommendations of a Step-II diet recommended by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Association's National Cholesterol Education Program. SFA will provide 7% of calories, and cholesterol will be less than 200mg/day. Vegetables and fruits in the Lower-Fat diet will be selected from foods that are low in antioxidants.; This diet is designed to be the control diet for the avocado diet and will have an identical fatty acid profile. MUFA-enriched food (fats) will be substituted for avocado. The substitution foods will not contain antioxidant or cholesterol-lowering components similar to those in avocado.
Other intervention name(s): moderate fat plus avocado; lower-fat,low SFA diet; moderate fat without avocado
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: cholesterol; triglycerides; low-density lipoprotein; high-density lipoprotein; reverse cholesterol transport