Those who are overweight or obese are more likely to face cognitive decline
with age. In this study, doctors gave 84 overweight or obese men and women,
aged 25 to 45, a daily meal with or without fresh avocado, but the same
total calories. After 12 weeks, those eating avocado could better maintain
focus on an information-processing task while confronting distractions.
Avocado eaters also had higher levels of the carotenoid lutein, which avocado
offers in a highly bioavailable form—xanthophyll lutein. “Avocados could have a specific
action in the brain that supports information-processing in particular, or be beneficial for certain cognitive abilities,” doctors said.