Avocado A Day Helps Regulate Cholesterol Levels

According to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, avocado unsaturated fats may help us regulate bad cholesterol levels and prevent arterial obstruction.

Many people are worried about their cholesterol levels. This lipid present in the blood can accumulate in large quantities and be the cause of cardiovascular problems that endanger health.

To some extent, cholesterol plays a fundamental role in the functions of the body. This is because it supports the optimal functioning of several important organs.

However, in cases of poor diet, its quantity can increase to quite dangerous rates.

Like all other illnesses, it can be difficult to spot this disorder early on due to the lack of specific symptoms.

We now know that millions of people suffer from it without even suspecting its presence in their body.

The good news is that, thanks to a lot of research, we know that changes in diet and adopting a healthy lifestyle may be the best solution for controlling cholesterol and reducing the risks it causes.

Research published in the Journal of The American Heart Association found that consuming an avocado per day can stagnate bad cholesterol levels in people who are overweight or obese.

The research …

The proposal of researchers at the State University of Pennsylvania (United States) is to replace saturated fatty acids, present in most diets, with unsaturated fatty acids, contained in avocados.

They took into account the fact that recently, it was advised to consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases because of high cholesterol levels.

Saturated fat is what raises the levels of this lipid in the blood. They also increase the risk of arterial obstruction as well as the development of life-threatening diseases. For example, heart attack or stroke.

Concretely, the researchers tested the effects of avocado on cardiovascular risk factors, taking into account the fact that it is one of the fruits that contains the most unsaturated fatty acids.

To get results, they replaced saturated fat in the diet of 45 healthy, overweight and obese patients, aged 21 to 70.

The volunteers began to ingest a diet containing a high content of saturated fat for two weeks.

Then, they followed three types of diets, reducing the amount of saturated fat:

• Lower fat without avocado.
• A diet with a significant reduction in fat without avocado.
• A decrease in fat but with the ingestion of an avocado daily.

The results…

Once the analysis period was over, the scientists determined that LDL cholesterol levels dropped when one ingested an avocado every day.

In total, they observed a reduction of 13.5 mg / dl. In comparison with the 8.3 mg / dl lost during the diet with a significant reduction in fat without avocado and the 7.4 mg / dl in the case of simple fat reduction.

In addition, its ingestion has been shown to have a positive effect on the control of total cholesterol and triglycerides.

Study conclusions

The researchers insisted that more investigation is needed to determine whether the effects of avocado are the same in other populations.

They nevertheless demonstrated that the unsaturated fats in avocados can lead to a healthy heart diet. However, it is necessary to ingest foods with a high nutritional content.

The healthy fats, micro-nutrients and bio-active components that avocados contain are believed to be responsible for these important benefits for the cardiovascular system.

Penny Kris Etherton, one of the researchers, said she would like to continue to do more specific research on the bioactive compounds in avocados and their effects on the body.

Healthy food

Avocado had a bad reputation for a long time because of its high calorie and fat intake. It is currently considered one of the most complete and healthy foods to include in a diet. However, it is important to consume it in moderate amounts.

This popular fruit also provides fiber, vitamin E, vitamin B and folic acid. It also contains more than double the potassium than what bananas contain.

Are you afraid of suffering from bad cholesterol? Make some changes in your diet. Start eating an avocado a day now to balance your levels.