Eating Avocados Twice a Week is Linked With lowering Heart Disease by 16-22%

Avocados contain dietary fiber, unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fats (healthy fats), and other favorable components that have been associated with good cardiovascular health. Clinical trials have previously found avocados to have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors, including high cholesterol.

The researchers believe this is the first large prospective study to support the positive association between higher avocado consumption and fewer cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.

“Our study provides additional evidence that plant-based unsaturated fat intake can improve diet quality and is an important component in the prevention of cardiovascular disease,” said Lorena S. Pacheco, Ph.D., MPH, RDN , lead 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.

“These are particularly noteworthy findings as the consumption of avocados has increased substantially in the US over the last 20 years, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.”

For 30 years, researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55) from the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 41,700 men (ages 40 to 75) from the Nurses’ Health Professionals Follow-up Study. health.

All study participants were free of cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke at the start of the study and lived in the United States. The researchers documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes during more than 30 years of follow-up. The researchers assessed the participants’ diet using food frequency questionnaires that were administered at the start of the study and then every four years.

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They calculated avocado intake from a questionnaire item that asked about the amount consumed and the frequency. One serving was equal to half an avocado or half a cup of avocado.

heart health

The analysis found:

• After accounting for a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors and overall diet, 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 heart disease coronary, compared to those who never or rarely ate avocados.
• Based on statistical modeling, replacing a half daily serving of margarine, butter, eggs, yogurt, cheese, or processed meats like bacon with the same amount of avocado was associated with a 16% to 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease events .
• Substituting half a daily serving of avocado for the equivalent amount of olive oil, nuts, and other vegetable oils showed no additional benefit.
• No significant associations were seen in relation to stroke risk and the amount of avocado eaten.

The study results provide additional guidance for health professionals to share. Offering the suggestion to “replace certain spreads and foods that contain saturated fats, such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something that doctors and other health professionals, such as registered dietitians, can do when they meet with patients, especially because avocado is a well-accepted food,” Pacheco said.

The study aligns with the American Heart Association guideline for following the Mediterranean diet, a dietary pattern focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, fish and other healthy foods and plant-based fats such as olives, canola, sesame and other non-tropical foods. oils

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“These findings are significant because a healthy dietary pattern is the cornerstone of cardiovascular health; however, it can be difficult for many Americans to achieve and adhere to healthy eating patterns,” said Cheryl Anderson, Ph.D., MPH, FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.

“We desperately need strategies to improve intake of healthy AHA-recommended diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, which are rich in vegetables and fruits,” said Anderson, professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences. . at the University of California San Diego.

“Although no one food is the solution to routinely eating a healthy diet, this study is evidence that avocados have potential health benefits. This is promising because it is a food that is popular, affordable, desirable and easy to include in the meals many Americans eat at home and in restaurants.”

This study has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.