A recent paper examined the risk of heart disease associated with the consumption of avocados.
It discovered that saturated fat from animal-source foods may be replaced at least in one part with avocado because of the benefits it has to offer for cardiovascular health.
The Major Culprit for Deaths of Americans
Cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease are the two main culprits for the deaths of Americans. Cardiovascular disease is often linked to an unhealthy lifestyle so a lot of studies are focused to discover what type of food is good for the reduction of this disease and which foods should be avoided.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology note that only 5 to 6 percent of calories should come from saturated fat. The rest of it should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
In such a scenario, avocados would be the star because they’re rich in nutrients, have unsaturated fats, but also provide a long list of other important nutrients, including fiber, phytochemicals, and other bioactive compounds.
The most frequently consumed type of avocado in the US is known as the Hass. A single portion weighs around 140 grams and provides 13 grams of unsaturated fatty oleic acid which is similar to 42 grams of almonds or two tablespoons of olive oil.
What’s more, it also supplies 40 percent of the RDA of fiber, ⅕ of the potassium needs, 1/10 of the magnesium needs, 30 percent of the folate, 15 grams of MUFA, and 3 grams of PUFA.
The presence of avocado in diets is linked with higher levels of HDL, lower BMI, and a lower chance of metabolic syndrome.
The Findings of the Study Explained
The study published in the American Heart Association journal focused on how the intake of avocados is associated with the risk of strokes, cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease with data from two other studies.
One was the Nurses’ Health Study and the other was the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
These are prospective cohort studies. The latter began in 1986 and it involved male American healthcare professionals aged 45 to 70 from all over the US.
The former began in 1976 and it involved female nursing professionals aged 30 to 55 from 11 states.
The participants in the current study had no history of stroke or coronary or cardiovascular disease and all were within the RDA limits.
The newest study was done with 41,000 men and 62,000 women. The follow-up was done around 13-14 years. In this period, there were 14,000 cases of cardiovascular disease reported. Around 6,700 of them are men and 7,600 are women.
Those who consumed more avocado had a healthier overall diet and consumed more fruits and veggies, grains, yogurt, cheese, and nuts. The highest average intake of avocados was 40 grams per day.
Interestingly, even after the adjustments made concerning the participants’ age, race, smoking and alcohol consumption status, physical activity, family history of diabetes, heart attacks and cancer, menopausal status, hypertension, current intake of hormone pills, etc., the risk of cardiovascular disease was 16 percent lower among the group that consumed two or more avocado servings every week.
When the intake of avocados was increased by half a serving on a daily basis, their risk dropped by 20 percent.
The risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 20 percent to 30 percent when avocado was taken instead of half-serving of butter, yogurt, cheese, mayonnaise, margarine, or processed meats.
All in all, the study concluded that those who consumed more avocados vs. the ones who didn’t eat it too much had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (16 percent) and a lower risk of coronary heart disease (21 percent).
The risk of stroke didn’t decrease.
When compared with other dairy fats, processed meats, and margarine, avocados helped lower both the risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. This didn’t happen with other plant oils.
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