Avocado-mango diet linked to 6.7% vessel function in prediabetes

A ScienceDaily Health research-organization report on Nov. 3 said an Illinois Institute of Technology feeding study linked a daily avocado-and-mango diet to better blood-vessel function after eight weeks in 82 adults with prediabetes.

The report said flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how much arteries widen as blood flow rises, reached 6.7% in the fruit group versus 4.6% in controls. It offers a short-term signal for people with prediabetes, not evidence of changes in heart-attack or diabetes outcomes.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, included 82 adults ages 25 to 60 with prediabetes and a body mass index of 25 to 35 kg/m2. Participants were generally healthy, did not smoke, were not on specialized diets and had no major chronic medical conditions, according to the report.

One group ate one medium Hass avocado and one cup of fresh mango each day. A comparison group received calorie-matched carbohydrate foods instead, while researchers supplied meals covering 75% of each participant's estimated daily calories.

“This research reinforces the power of food-first strategies to help reduce cardiovascular disease risk, particularly in vulnerable populations like those with prediabetes,” said Britt Burton-Freeman, principal investigator and professor at Illinois Tech. “It’s an encouraging message: small, nutrient-dense additions—like incorporating avocado and mango into meals and snacks—may support heart health without the need for strict rules or major dietary overhauls.”

Blood-pressure changes differed most clearly among men. Male participants in the control group had an average 5 mmHg rise in central blood pressure, while men eating avocado and mango had an approximately 1.9 mmHg reduction, according to the report.

The fruit group did not show significant changes in body weight or total calorie intake. The report also said participants eating avocado and mango consumed more fiber, vitamin C and monounsaturated fat, a type of unsaturated fat found in foods such as avocados.

Researchers also reported improvements in estimated glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR, a kidney-function measure that estimates how well the kidneys filter waste from blood. Cholesterol, blood sugar and inflammation markers were largely unchanged compared with the control group.

The study cannot show whether the same associations would occur in people without prediabetes, people outside the 25-to-60 age range, smokers, or those with major chronic illnesses. It also cannot show whether avocado and mango are associated with greater changes together than either fruit alone.

The trial lasted eight weeks and measured cardiovascular risk indicators rather than long-term clinical outcomes such as heart attacks, strokes or type 2 diabetes. The research was supported by an unrestricted grant from the National Mango Board and the Hass Avocado Board; the report said the boards had no role in study design or findings.

Source: research-organization report, ScienceDaily Health/Wild Hive, Nov. 3, 2026.

Atlas360 reports health research and does not provide medical advice.