New research from the Illinois Institute of Technology in the United States shows that for adults with prediabetes, adding a simple combination of mango and avocado to the diet every day may help improve blood vessel function and bring potential cardiovascular benefits. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, offer the estimated 98 million Americans who live on the borderline prediabetes a dietary option that doesn't require drastic lifestyle changes but could impact long-term cardiovascular health.
In this trial, the research team designed an "Avocado-Mango" (AM) diet plan for prediabetic adults, requiring subjects to consume an additional medium-sized Hass avocado and 1 cup of fresh mango per day for three consecutive meals and snacks for 8 weeks. In comparison, the control group replaced mango and avocado with isocaloric carbohydrate foods on the premise that the total energy was basically the same. After 8 weeks, the researchers compared changes in the two groups on multiple cardiovascular-related indicators such as blood vessel function and blood pressure.
The results showed that subjects who followed the AM diet had statistically significant improvements in endothelial function, as evidenced by a significant increase in the "flow-mediated dilation" (FMD) index. The FMD in the AM group increased to 6.7%, while it decreased to 4.6% in the control group. This difference is considered to be a signal of improved vascular function and helps reduce cardiovascular risk at an early stage.
The study also found that diastolic blood pressure, or blood pressure during the diastole of the heart, also showed favorable changes in the AM group, with improvements particularly prominent in male subjects. In the control group, men's central blood pressure rose on average by about 5 mmHg, while in the AM diet group it dropped by about 1.9 mmHg, creating a gap of nearly 7 mmHg. The research team points out that if this difference can be sustained over a longer period of time, it may have clinical significance. It is worth noting that these changes occurred without significant changes in total energy intake and body weight, suggesting that cardiovascular health benefits may also be achieved simply by incorporating more nutrient-dense foods.
Britt Burton-Freeman, the leader of the study and a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, said that this study once again strengthens the potential of the "food first" strategy to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, especially in high-risk groups such as prediabetes. She pointed out that for many people, rather than adopting strict dietary control that is difficult to adhere to in the long term, it is better to start by adding a small amount of nutrient-dense ingredients to daily meals and snacks, such as avocados and mangoes, steadily integrated into the daily diet to support heart health in a gentle way.
At the nutrient intake level, subjects following the AM diet also significantly increased their intake of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and monounsaturated fat, nutrients considered to be closely related to cardiovascular health. At the same time, total caloric intake and body weight did not increase, and some measures of kidney function (such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)) also showed some improvement. However, the study did not observe significant changes in cholesterol, blood sugar, or inflammation markers. Even so, adding nutrient-dense fruits to their daily diet may still be beneficial for people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the team believes.
From the perspective of specific food composition, mango and avocado complement each other nutritionally. Mangoes provide some fiber per serving (2 grams of dietary fiber, 7% of the recommended daily value) and are rich in vitamin C (about 50% of the recommended daily value), an antioxidant nutrient that helps with blood sugar regulation, weight management and cardiovascular health. Avocados are also a good source of fiber (about 3 grams per serving, about 11% of the recommended daily intake), which helps regulate cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight, and contain about 6 grams of unsaturated fat, which is thought to help lower LDL cholesterol. In addition, avocados provide about 250 milligrams of potassium (about 6 percent of the recommended daily intake), an electrolyte that is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure. Researchers believe that combining the two provides a simple and practical nutritional combination for cardiovascular health.