Avocado and Postprandial Responses

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT MEDICAL CENTER · Feb 4, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how adding avocado to a breakfast meal affects blood sugar levels and feelings of hunger and fullness after eating. Participants will try three different breakfast meals: one with whole-wheat bread and strawberry jam, another with the same ingredients plus avocado, and a third that mimics avocado’s healthy fats and fiber but doesn’t include it. The study aims to understand how these meals impact blood sugar control and how satisfied people feel after eating.

To be eligible for the study, participants should be healthy adults aged 21 to 65 with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 34.9. However, individuals who are pregnant, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or certain other medical conditions cannot participate. If you join the trial, you will go through three test periods over several weeks, where you'll eat provided meals and have blood samples taken to measure your blood sugar levels over four hours after breakfast. This research will help us learn more about the benefits of avocados in a healthy diet.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Biological sex males or females
• • Age 21 to 65 years
• • BMI between 18.5 and 34.9 kg/m2
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Actively pregnant or lactating women
• • Diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes (fasting glucose \>100 mg/dL)
• • Current diagnosis of uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP: \>160 mmHg, diastolic BP: \>95 mmHg), may receive treatment for hypertension as long as on a stable regimen for the previous one month
• • Current diagnosis of uncontrolled hyperlipidemia (fasting total blood cholesterol \>200 mg/dL, fasting triglycerides \>200 mg/dL), may receive treatment for hyperlipidemia as long as on a stable regimen for the previous one month
• • Presence of kidney disease, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, untreated or unstable hypothyroidism, certain cancers, gastrointestinal disease, pancreatic disease, other chronic metabolic diseases or malabsorption syndromes, HIV, or inflammatory conditions (such as arthritis, asthma, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gout, Lupus)
• • History of bariatric or certain other surgeries related to weight control
• • Any medication used to lower blood glucose/antidiabetic medications \[including, but not limited to metformin, sulfonylureas, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGL2) inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-IV inhibitors\] as well as medications affecting weight, appetite/hunger or gut motility.
• • Smoking or use of other tobacco products (during 6 months prior to the start of the study)
• • Antibiotic use during the intervention or for 3 weeks prior to any treatment period
• • History of eating disorders or other significant food preferences that would interfere with the diet intervention (e.g., vegan lifestyle, very low-fat diets, high-protein diets)
• • Allergies or adverse reactions to study foods (e.g., gluten intolerance), or food aversions that would interfere with diet adherence
• • Body weight loss of \>10% within the last 6 months prior to study start
• • Unable or unwilling to give informed consent or communicate with study staff
• • Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse within the past 12 months and/or current acute treatment or rehabilitation program for these problems (long-term participation in Alcoholics Anonymous is not an exclusion)
• • Other medical, psychiatric, or behavioral factors that in the judgment of the Principal Investigator may interfere with study participation or the ability to follow the intervention protocol
• • Undergoing hormonal therapy of any kind, with the exception of a stable regime for the prior 6 months to study start.