An Avocado A Day Keeps Your Heart 'A-Ok'

Love avocados? Here's a heart healthy excuse to eat one every day.

New findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association show that this green, flowering plant that's rich in monosaturated fatty acids can help lower your cholesterol and more.

"Including one avocado each day as part of a moderate-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet compared to a comparable moderate-fat diet without an avocado provides additional LDL (low-density lipoproteins) lowering affects, which benefit CVD risk," said Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, in a news release.

For the study, researchers tested three different diets, all designed to lower cholesterol: a lower-fat diet, consisting of 24 percent fat, and two moderate fat diets, with 34 percent fat. All of the diets were nearly identical, yet one diet incorporated one Hass avocado while the other used a comparable amount of high oleic acid oils -- such as olive oil -- to match the fatty acid content of one avocado. Hass avocados are the smaller, darker variety with bumpy green skin and have a higher nutrient content than Florida avocados, which are larger, and have smoother skin and a higher water content.

The study authors tested the diets on 45 healthy, overweight adults between the ages of 21 and 70, comparing the participants' baseline measurements. All participants were required to follow each of the three diets for five weeks and given a two-week break in between each diet. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of each study period, while subjects were randomly assigned the order in which they received each diet.

Findings revealed that all three diets significantly lowered bad cholesterol levels, otherwise known as LDL, as well as total cholesterol points. Yet those on the avocado diet experienced the most significant reduction, of all.

"People should start thinking about eating avocados in new ways," concluded Kris-Etherton. "I think using it as a condiment is a great way to incorporate avocados into meals -- for instance, putting a slice or two on a sandwich or using chopped avocado in a salad or to season vegetables."

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