Hass avocado at lunch and feelings of fullness in overweight adults
What it found
In 26 overweight adults, adding about half a Hass avocado to a lunch meal increased satisfaction and reduced the desire to eat over the next 3 to 5 hours.
Blood glucose was about the same after all three lunches, but insulin rose less after the avocado-inclusive meal.
What they found
Studies in people
Satisfaction and desire to eat
Compared with the control lunch, the avocado-added meal increased satisfaction by 23% and decreased the desire to eat by 28% over 5 hours. Over 3 hours, satisfaction rose by 26% and desire to eat fell by 40%.
Blood glucose
There were no significant differences between the three lunch meals for blood glucose over 3 hours.
Blood insulin
The avocado-inclusive meal led to a lower insulin response over 3 hours compared with both the control and avocado-added meals. At 30 minutes, insulin rose less after the avocado-inclusive and avocado-added meals than after the control meal.
Later food intake
Energy and nutrient intake at a dinner buffet and evening snack were similar after all three lunches. The avocado-added meal provided an extra 112 kcal, and participants compensated for 66% of that energy at later meals.
Appetite over time
The five appetite sensations tended to come together 5 hours after the lunch meal.
What the authors conclude
“The addition of approximately one half of a Hass avocado at a lunch meal can influence post-ingestive satiety over a subsequent 3 and 5 hour period in overweight adults.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that adding about half a Hass avocado to a lunch meal can increase satisfaction and reduce the desire to eat over the next 3 to 5 hours in overweight adults.
- They note that the avocado added 112 kcal, which may have accounted for the increased satisfaction and decreased desire to eat.
- They suggest that future trials should look at avocado intake and weight management in people with different body weights and in those with insulin resistance.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if adding about half a Hass avocado to a lunch meal would affect fullness, blood glucose and insulin, and how much people ate later. They note that avocados are nutrient dense and may help with energy balance.
They ran a randomised 3x3 single-blind crossover study with 26 healthy overweight adults (mean age 40.8 years, BMI 28.1). Each person ate three lunch test meals one week apart: a control meal with no avocado, a meal with avocado included (other foods reduced to match energy), and a meal with avocado added. They rated appetite sensations for 5 hours and measured blood glucose and insulin for 3 hours after lunch.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a short study with three single days of testing, so it cannot show what happens over weeks or months.
- The study cannot show whether regularly eating avocado affects weight or health in the long term.
- The results are from overweight adults and may not apply to other groups.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Loma Linda University, USA
The paper
- Title
- A randomized 3×3 crossover study to evaluate the effect of Hass avocado intake on post-ingestive satiety, glucose and insulin levels, and subsequent energy intake in overweight adults
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Wien M, Haddad E, Oda K, Sabaté J (2013). A randomized 3×3 crossover study to evaluate the effect of Hass avocado intake on post-ingestive satiety, glucose and insulin levels, and subsequent energy intake in overweight adults. Nutrition journal. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-12-155Free full textPubMed 24279738DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error