An avocado a day helps keep sleepless nights at bay, researchers suggest

Eating one avocado a day may positively impact sleep, according to a new paper. This marks the first time the heart-healthy fruit has been linked to this outcome. 

Based on a secondary analysis of the largest randomized controlled trial on avocados, scientists found that adults who consumed one avocado daily for six months reported better sleep than those who ate fewer than two avocados per month.

“Sleep is emerging as a key lifestyle factor in heart health, and this study invites us to consider how nutrition — and foods like avocado — can play a role in improving it,” says Dr. Kristina Petersen, study author and associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University, US.

“Cardiovascular health is influenced by many factors, and while no single food is a silver bullet, some — like avocados — offer a range of nutrients that support multiple aspects of heart health. This is an encouraging step in expanding the science around avocados and the potential benefits of consumption.”

Eating to get sleepy

Backed by the Avocado Nutrition Center, this study involved 969 racially and ethnically diverse American adults with elevated waist circumference, a cardiovascular risk factor that affects nearly 60% of US adults.

Participants were randomized to either consume one avocado per day or minimal avocado intake (less than two avocados per month) while continuing their usual diet for six months.

The researchers assessed cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Essential 8TM, a framework healthcare professionals use to better understand and reduce risk factors.

This tool examines diet quality, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood glucose. It identifies these as the leading behaviors and factors that can lead to better health outcomes when improved.

Daily avocado intake was associated with improved diet quality (measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015), blood lipids (modest reductions in LDL-C and total cholesterol levels), and sleep health (increased self-reported sleep duration). The researchers found no significant effects for the other Life’s Essential 8 components.

Though the researchers did not originally design the study to examine sleep as a primary outcome, their results offer a new direction to research the broad spectrum benefits of avocados. They note this study design has several strengths, but the findings are not conclusive and cannot be generalized to all populations.

Avocados contain the following nutrients per serving (1/3 medium avocado) that may play a role in sleep: tryptophan (13 mg), a precursor to melatonin, which plays a role in regulating sleep; folate (45 mcg), involved in the production of melatonin; and magnesium (15 mg), involved in muscle contraction and relaxation.

Additionally, the researchers note that the combination of fiber and monounsaturated fats in avocados contributes to their beneficial impact on cardiovascular health.

Science of sleep supplementation

Previous research supports that sleep is as important for good health as nutrition and exercise. In particular, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges that getting enough sleep can help lower the risk factors for heart disease.

The AHA recognizes healthy sleep duration as one of eight health factors that, when optimized, can promote ideal cardiovascular health.

The shelf-staple sleep and relaxation supplement category continues to exhibit high activity with novel ingredient solutions. Nutrition Insight previously spotlighted a host of new product innovation insights by Gencor, Nektium, Lubrizol Life Science, Prinova, SuanNutra, Trinutra, and Karallief.