Pennington Biomedical researcher publishes editorial in leading American Heart Association journal

Food is Medicine: Dr. John Apolzan highlights the importance of fruit intake on vascular health

2026-03-03

(Press-News.org) Dr. John Apolzan, director of the Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, published an editorial on the importance of fruit intake to vascular health in the Journal of the American Heart Association, a leading peer-reviewed publication focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health research.

The editorial, “Fruit-Rich Dietary Pattern Improves Endothelial Function: Implications for Food Is Medicine,” is a commentary on the study “Effects of Increasing Total Fruit Intake With Avocado and Mango on Endothelial Function and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adults With Prediabetes,” which reinforced existing evidence that diets higher in fruit intake improve nutrient status and health outcomes.

“The data suggest that increased fruit intake, particularly with avocados and mangos, leads to positive changes in vascular health,” Dr. Apolzan wrote. “Further, this study adds to the growing body of evidence that diets rich in fruits (and vegetables) align closely with the goals of the Food Is Medicine initiative, which seeks to integrate nutrition into health care to treat and prevent disease. Moving forward, translating efficacy trials like this one into pragmatic and implementation studies will be essential to determine whether foods and dietary patterns can improve health and reduce chronic disease risk at scale.”

Dr. Apolzan is a nutrition scientist whose research interests involve overseeing and managing human clinical intervention trials examining nutritional, physical activity and body weight outcomes across the lifespan. He has significant experience in the development and oversight of clinic-based and mHealth interventions. He is the co-inventor of the FoodImage and PortionSize apps. Overall, he conducts translational research in the areas of human clinical nutrition, exercise physiology, and obesity to further reduce disease prevalence. Dr. Apolzan has external funding from the Hass Avocado Board to perform a research study.

The article appears as an invited editorial contribution, a publication type used to provide scientific perspective and context on emerging evidence and its implications for clinical care and public health.

The Journal of the American Heart Association is an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal published on behalf of the American Heart Association and serves as a global forum for research, reviews and clinical insights related to cardiovascular disease and stroke.

About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting nutrition and metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System.

The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 600 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 16 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.

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