Coronary heart disease: avocado by prescription

Avocados are the star of current food trends and are considered particularly healthy. Can it really lower cholesterol or is it just nonsense? Look at the case study.

Avocados originally come from Mexico. They are known to contain almost no sugar, but they contain plenty of dietary fiber, both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. fatty acidsPhytonutrients and biologically active substances. Avocado also provides important minerals, including ironAnd Calcium And phosphate. Moreover, it is said that green fruits Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol To reduce. The saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is often used — but does the avocado superstar also apply? How does it affect the risk of cardiovascular disease?

The research team about Lorena S. Pacheco goes to im Journal of the American Heart Association published long-term study Exactly these open questions.

Study design: Avocado twice a week

Participants in this prospective cohort study from the USA provided information about their eating habits at the start of the survey and then every four years. The study included 68,786 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 41,701 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. At the start of the study, the participants did not have any pre-existing diseases such as cancerAnd coronary heart disease or one brain attack. During the study period, the research team led by Lorena S. Pacheco examines the relationship between avocado consumption and heart health. Patients who consumed at least two servings per week were defined as avocado consumers.

The results: Avocados make you healthy, right?

During the 30-year follow-up period, 9,185 patients developed coronary artery disease and 5,290 had a stroke. After adjusting for lifestyle and other dietary factors, people with higher avocado consumption had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 21% lower risk of coronary artery disease compared to those who didn’t eat avocados. In contrast, the authors did not observe any such associations for strokes.

Every half an increase in avocado consumption per day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. Replacing half a serving of margarine, butter, eggs, yogurt, cheese or processed meats daily with an equivalent amount of avocado was associated with a 16% to 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, there was no significant difference whether avocados or the same amount of olive oil, nuts, or other vegetable oils were consumed.

Healthy fats in other foods too

The researchers said the findings suggest that replacing some fatty foods such as butter, cheese or processed meat with healthy unsaturated fats such as those found in avocados may contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease. Since there is not much difference between eating avocado or other vegetable fats, it is reasonable to assume that nuts, olives, or vegetable oils are also healthy sources of fats to prevent cardiovascular disease.

One limitation of the study is that it deals with associations, not causes. For this reason, causal relationships cannot be inferred. Another limitation of the study is that the data is self-reported by the participants. On the other hand, the strengths of this study include the prospective population-based design with a large sample size and long follow-up, as well as repeated measurements and validation of diet and lifestyle data.

Avocado consumers live healthier lives

Previous studies by other research groups have also shown a positive effect of avocado on health. for example Fulgoni et al.Avocado consumption is associated with improved overall diet quality, nutrient absorption and a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome is connected. Dreyer et al They concluded in their review, which included 19 studies, that avocado consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy, overweight adults. Dyslipidemia and reduce the risk of being overweight or obese. They also report that avocado consumption has beneficial effects on weight loss and reduction of visceral fat in overweight or obese women.

The large-scale study by Lorena S.Pacheco et al. It shows that eating more avocados was associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease. But it doesn’t have to be an avocado. The results of the study indicate that the intake of vegetable fats in general has a positive effect on health and plays an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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