Researchers investigate the associations between avocado consumption and diabetes risk.
Study
In the present study, researchers evaluate the association between avocado consumption and T2D risk. Several metabolomic examinations were used to determine whether habitual avocado intake and its associated metabolites may reduce fasting glucose and insulin levels, thereby lowering T2D risk.
The study population was derived from the ongoing Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which comprised 6,814 adults aged 45-84 years recruited between 2000 and 2002 from six locations across the United States. Inclusion criteria included a lack of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at recruitment-measured baseline and self-reported ancestry (white, black, Asian, or Hispanic). Participants were followed up at 18-month intervals since recruitment, with the most recent follow-up conducted in 2018.
Of the total MESA sample cohort, 557 participants were allergic to avocado, and 37 lacked baseline dysglycemia data, thus resulting in their exclusion from the study. Metabolomic data was available for 3,438 randomly subsampled participants.
Dietary data collection was conducted using the MESA FFQ questionnaire, which includes intake frequency and quantity of 120 food items that were subsequently categorized into 47 food groups. Intake data was dichotomized into nonconsumers and consumers. Previous research on the Mediterranean-style diet was used to score the nutrient content and overall 'healthiness' of participant diets.
Fasting serum samples collected during baseline assessment were used for untargeted metabolomic profile generation using a standard proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyzer. Obtained spectra and their chemical shifts were baseline-corrected and calibrated to standard glucose signals.
Metabolite annotation involved additional spectral data generated from 2D NMR, 2D J-resolved, correlation spectroscopy, total correlation spectroscopy, heteronuclear single quantum correlation spectroscopy, and statical correlation. Subset optimization by reference matching (STORM) analyses were used for the final annotation, which was then compared to the Human Metabolome Database.
Fasting serum collected during baseline assessment was used to measure fasting insulin and glucose levels. Dysglycemia status was derived from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2003 criteria, defining T2D as fasting glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or greater. Demographic, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements were collected through questionnaires during baseline and follow-up examinations.
Results and Conclusion
Modest associations were observed between participant-reported avocado consumption and fasting insulin; however, these associations were not statistically significant when controlling for participant body mass index (BMI). Three metabolomic spectral features strongly and significantly correlated with reduced fasting glucose and insulin rates. Since these features were highly intra-correlated, they were combined into a single avocado biomarker.
The derived avocado biomarker showed a strong and significant association with reduced T2D risk, even after accounting for sociodemographic factors, anthropometric measurements, health behaviors, including smoking and alcohol consumption, and measures of adiposity, including BMI. Despite lower analytical power intrinsic to the current study design, subgroup-level differences were observed in participants with- and without dysglycemia, corroborating previous work.
Participants with normoglycemia exhibited weaker associations with reduced glucose and insulin levels and T2D risk than those with dysglycemia. Taken together, these findings suggest gut microbiome differences between cohorts, which could alter food item processing and nutrient uptake.
Source:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231105/Avocado-a-day-may-keep-diabetes-at-bay-suggests-nutritional-biomarker-study.aspx