Like avocados? Study will pay you to eat them

By Andrea Diaz, CNN

(CNN) — If you’re the kind of person who’ll willingly pay extra for guac and thinks avocado toast is life, four universities are looking for you.

Researchers from Loma Linda University, Penn State, Tufts University and the University of California, Los Angeles will pay you to eat avocados every day for six months.

It seems like too good to be true, but it’s not a stunt. This is for science.

Researchers are calling it “The Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial,” and according to Loma Linda, they are looking for 1,000 participants to help figure out whether avocados actually help with weight loss.

Avocados are a rich source of heart-healthy fats that can help cholesterol, but there are concerns that this fruit is not as healthy as it may seem.

E-Commerce guide by Underscored: 17 items every avocado lover needs

“Since avocados contain the highest fat content of any fruit, it seems illogical to think they might actually help people lose their belly fat,” Loma Linda University reported.

Dr. Joan Sabate, director of the university’s Center for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, says the study — which is funded by the Hass Avocado Board, an industry group — will examine whether eating one avocado per day will help reduce fat in the abdomen.

A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that replacing saturated fats with one avocado each day could result in lower blood pressure. Penn State researchers plan to examine this idea by monitoring not just the effects on abdominal fats but the health outcomes related to cardiovascular disease.

Each university is looking for 250 avocado lovers who are willing to eat one avocado per day or two per month.

To qualify, you must be 25 or older and measure at least 35 to 40 inches around the waist, depending on gender. You also need to attend clinical visits at the corresponding campus, undergo two abdominal MRI scans and attend a monthly dietary meeting.

However, you can’t participate if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning pregnancy.

The participants will receive $300 each at the end of the study and 24 avocados to enjoy as you please.

Once all the data have been collected, Wake Forest University will perform the final analysis and deliver the results, Loma Linda University reported.