“Although avocados are high in fat, it’s mainly healthy monounsaturated fat,” says WebMD. “Research has found that this type of fat in your diet can help trim your waistline.”

Or...maybe not.

In a study funded by the Hass avocado industry, researchers randomly assigned 1,008 people with a large waist (at least 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men) to eat one large avocado every day (supplied by the study) or to eat their usual diet. After six months, the changes in waist size, visceral (deep belly) fat, liver fat, and C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) were no different between groups.

What to do

Enjoy avocados, but don’t expect them to trim your waistline.