If you love avocados but hate paying for them, we have some kick-Hass news for you.
A new study called the “Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial” wants to pay people to eat an avocado every day for six months.
Researchers from Loma Linda University, Pennsylvania State University, Tufts University and the University of California, Los Angeles, are evaluating whether avocados can help a person lose belly fat, according to a post published Tuesday on Loma Linda University’s website.
A thousand research subjects (or 250 people per campus) will be split into two groups: one in which subjects will eat an avocado every day for six months, and another in which subjects will eat only two avocados per month for the same period.
Once all the data has been collected, it’ll be sent to Wake Forest University for final analysis. The school will also deliver the results.
There is one eyebrow-raising aspect to the study, however.
According to Loma Linda University, the study is being funded by the Hass Avocado Board — which “promotes the consumption of Hass avocados in the United States,” its website claims.
Joan Sabaté, Loma Linda University’s principal investigator, said the financial backers will not affect the study’s findings.
“For the last 20 years, we have been doing dietary intervention studies on plant-based foods and nuts. We are rigorous in our selection of projects,” he told Loma Linda University Health news.
To qualify to participate in the research, you must be 25 years or older and measure at least 35 inches around the waist if you’re a woman and 40 inches around the waist if you’re a man. You’ll also need to attend health screenings, get MRI scans and meet with a dietician once a month.
But hey, if you’re selected as a subject, you’ll receive $300 at the end of the study. Members of the group that only eats two avocados a month will also get 24 of them post-study to enjoy as they please.
And really, there’s only one logical thing you could do with a surplus of free avocados.