Love those Avocados!
You’ve heard, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but have you heard about the health benefits of avocados?
A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition¹ in February, suggests that eating one avocado a day is heart healthy (for those that can eat a moderate fat diet*). It turns out that the avocado increases antioxidants (helpful substances that fight against toxins) in the blood and lowers oxidized LDL cholesterol particles (the “bad” cholesterol). The small, dense LDL particles when oxidized stick to the walls of the arteries causing inflammation. Inflammation promotes plaque buildup in the arteries which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In the study, the people that were put on a moderate fat diet including the avocado daily showed lower levels of oxidized LDL than the group that were on a moderate fat diet without the avocado. This was seen after only 5 weeks on the diet!
Since cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes) is still the number one killer of Americans, it is important that we utilize important nutritional information to reduce our risk.
*some individuals should eat a diet lower in fat based on their APOE genetic profile.
1Li Wang, Ling Tao, Lei Hao, Todd H Stanley, Kuan-Hsun Huang, Joshua D Lambert, Penny M Kris-Etherton. A Moderate-Fat Diet with One Avocado per Day Increases Plasma Antioxidants and Decreases the Oxidation of Small, Dense LDL in Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz231