According to a study led by researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Healtheating two or more servings of avocado a week could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
For some time now, avocados have begun to be very present both in supermarkets and on our tables. They contain dietary fiber, unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fats (healthy fats), and other favorable components that have been associated with good cardiovascular health.
Several studies have already been carried out on the positive impact that these fruits have on cardiovascular risk factorsincluding high cholesterol.
But this study, published in the journal Journal of the American Heart Associationis for the researchers the first to support the positive association between a higher consumption of avocado and fewer cardiovascular problems, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.
as pointed out Lorena S. Pachecolead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston:
- “Our study provides additional evidence that intake of unsaturated fats from plant sources can improve the quality of the diet and is an important component in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases“
A study over three decades
For 30 years, the researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55) and more than 41,700 men (ages 40 to 75) in the United States.
All study participants were healthy. Specifically, they did not suffer from cancer, coronary heart disease, or stroke at the time the study began. And they lived in the United States.
Over 3 decades, the researchers documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes.
At the same time, the researchers assessed the participants’ diet using food frequency questionnaires that were administered at the start of the study and then every four years.
They calculated avocado intake from a questionnaire item that asked about the amount consumed and the frequency.
Research finds that one serving was equal to half an avocado or half a cup of avocado.
An avocado a week could reduce coronary risk by up to 21%
Analyzing the results, the researchers found some interesting data.
The first of these is that, after accounting for a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors and diet in general, study participants who ate at least two servings of avocado per week had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who never or rarely ate avocados.
In addition, in those cases where half a daily serving of margarine, butter, eggs, yogurt, cheese or processed meats had been replaced by the same amount of avocado, they also saw that the risk of cardiovascular diseases was reduced. Specifically, between 16% and 22% less.
For those trial participants who substituted that mean daily serving of avocado for olive oil, nuts and other vegetable oilsthere was no additional benefit.
Lastly, the researchers found no significant associations in relation to stroke risk and the amount of avocado eaten.
Changes in dietary patterns
As Pacheco explains, the results of the study open the door to a new health recommendation:
- “Replacing certain products that we use as spreads, as well as foods that contain saturated fats such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something that doctors and other health professionals, such as dieticians, may suggest to patients” .
The study is aligned with the guide of the American Heart Association to follow the Mediterranean diet, a dietary pattern focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, fish, and other healthy foods, as well as plant-based fats.
And as a final conclusion, it is very interesting what it brings Cheryl Andersonpresident of the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention of the American Heart Association:
- “Although no one food is the solution to routinely eating a healthy diet, this study is evidence that avocados have potential health benefits. A promising finding because it is a popular, affordable, desirable food that is easy to include in meals.” consumed by many Americans at home and in restaurants.