Associations between Avocado Consumption and Diet Quality, Dietary Intake, Measures of Obesity and Body Composition in Adolescents: The Teen Food and Development Study.

Gina Segovia-Siapco,Michael Paalani,Joan Sabaté,Peter Pribis,Keiji Oda

doi:10.3390/nu13124489

Gina Segovia-Siapco, Michael Paalani + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124489

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Dec 15, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Loma Linda University, University of New Mexico

Abstract

Avocado is a nutrient-rich food that has been shown to benefit the health and diet quality of adults. In this paper, we examined if habitual intake of avocado among adolescents is associated with their diet quality, food and nutrient intake, and measures of obesity and body composition. Participants aged 12–18 years old (n = 534) from selected public and Adventist middle-high schools reported their dietary intake in a web-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); anthropometrics were measured during school visits. Diet quality (DQI-I) and avocado intake were calculated from the FFQ; BMI z-scores (BMIz), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and %body fat (%BF) were determined from the anthropometric data. Compared to non-consumers, avocado consumers had significantly higher covariate-adjusted mean scores on total DQI-I (68.3 vs. 64.6) and energy-adjusted mean scores on variety (18.8 vs. 18.0) and adequacy (36.4 vs. 33.4). Avocado consumption was significantly associated with DQI-I components adequacy (β [SE] = 0.11 [0.03]) and moderation (β [SE] = 0.06 [0.03]) but not with BMIz, WHtR, FM, FFM, and %BF. Mean intakes of fruits, vegetables, and plant protein foods, total and vegetable proteins, dietary fiber, retinol, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium were significantly higher for avocado consumers; saturated and trans fats intakes were significantly higher for non-consumers. In our adolescent population, avocado consumption was associated with higher diet quality and intake of plant-based foods and shortfall nutrients, but not with measures of obesity and body composition. Studies are needed to determine the optimal amount of avocado that would confer health benefits during adolescence.

Highlights

The increase in independence during adolescence has been shown to influence dietary habits and food preferences of youth
Trend analysis of diet quality using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018 data shows that, there had been improvements in the quality of foods consumed coming from schools, grocery stores, and restaurants, children 5–19 years of age remain to have poor diet quality compared to adults [5]
Our findings reveal that, compared to non-consumers, avocado consumers have better diet quality as indicated by higher scores on the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), have significantly higher intake of foods and nutrients known to be associated with better health, and lower intake of nutrients implicated in chronic diseases

Summary

Introduction

The increase in independence during adolescence has been shown to influence dietary habits and food preferences of youth. Late snacking [1], meal-skipping, and consumption of energy-dense but nutrient-poor convenience foods and sweetened beverages characterize most adolescents worldwide [2,3]. Poor diet quality as indicated by low or very low consumption of nutritionally healthy foods is associated with being overweight or obese among adolescents [4]. Trend analysis of diet quality using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018 data shows that, there had been improvements in the quality of foods consumed coming from schools, grocery stores, and restaurants, children 5–19 years of age remain to have poor diet quality compared to adults [5]. Educating teenagers to improve their dietary habits can provide significant public health benefits on a local, national, and global scale

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