New Research Expands Avocado Science Into Sleep, Allergies, and Snacking

This year marked an exciting milestone for avocado research, with new studies exploring health areas never before examined—sleep, allergies, and snacking. The Avocado Nutrition Center supported all three projects, advancing understanding of how avocados fit into healthy lifestyles.

A six-month clinical study of 969 American adults with elevated waist circumference examined how eating one avocado daily affected cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) framework. While the overall LE8 score did not change, participants who ate avocados improved their diet quality and sleep health and showed reductions in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and total cholesterol compared to those who did not change their diets. Though the results cannot be generalized to all populations, they add to the growing evidence that avocados support heart health.

In Finland, researchers analyzed data from more than 2,200 mother–child pairs to explore whether avocado consumption during pregnancy related to infant allergies. Infants born to avocado-eating mothers had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months, after accounting for lifestyle factors. No associations were observed for other allergic conditions. While this study cannot prove cause and effect, it supports prior evidence linking plant-rich maternal diets with lower allergy risk in children.

A third study explored how avocados compare to other evening snacks in adults with prediabetes. In a randomized crossover design, 27 participants consumed snacks of whole avocado, a low-fat option, or a fat and fiber-matched processed snack. The avocado snack led to lower post-breakfast triglycerides the next morning, suggesting potential benefits for cardiometabolic health.

Together, these studies highlight the expanding scientific interest in avocados and their possible roles in supporting heart, metabolic, and overall well-being.