Health and Medicine
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Listen up hipsters, millennial brunch lovers, and guacamole fans. Researchers are offering the chance to earn money just by eating avocados every single day – all in the name of science.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The opportunity is part of the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial, a scientific investigation led by the Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California. The trial is looking for 1,000 people to take part in the study. Half of the group will be given one avocado to eat – no more, no less – every day for two months. The other half, a control group, will be required to eat no more than two avocados per month during the same period. Best of all, you’ll receive $300 for your efforts (as well as free avocados).
The aim of their study is to find out what effect an avocado-rich diet has on the amount and distribution of fat in the body.
“The study will examine whether eating one avocado per day reduces visceral adipose fat in the abdomen,” Dr Joan Sabaté, professor of nutrition and director of the Center for Nutrition, said in a statement.
Funnily enough, the study is funded by the Hass Avocado Board, an agriculture promotion group who aim to "promote the consumption of Hass Avocados in the United States." Strange, eh?
Even though avocados are high in fat, it’s mostly monounsaturated fat, which is good for heart health (unlike the unhealthy saturated fats you find in desserts, meats, and dairy products). Despite the fat content, researchers are actually hypothesizing that moderate avocado consumption could promote weight loss. The Mediterranean diet, for example, is notoriously healthy and filled with foods rich in monounsaturated fats.
On top of all this, avocado is rich in useful minerals such as iron, copper, and potassium, as well as vitamin E and the B vitamin, folate.
Participants must be overweight to take part in the study. Men need to have a waist measurement of at least 101 centimeters (40 inches) and women at least 89 centimeters (35 inches). You will be required to make eight clinic visits over six months. Researchers will also call you unannounced at least four times during the study period to check up on your diet. Participants must be 25 or over. On top of blood tests and body measurements, MRI scans will be used to scan the body and provide images of your organs.
The study was announced on Tuesday, August 28, and they have already received enough applications in the Loma Linda, Southern California, area. However, they are still looking for people who live near the campuses of Penn State University, Tufts University in Massachusetts, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
For more details, head over to their website: www.HATstudy.org.
