Heart disease: Eating avocado twice a week reduces risk by 21%

You might hate those people who think they are better than everyone else because they eat avocado toast, but sorry to say you might have to join them. A new study has found that eating the green-yellowy fruit, reduces the risk of heart diseases and cardiovascular and heart diseases.

Good for your heart

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that eating avocados at least twice a week could reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 16%, while offering you a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease.

The reason is that avocados are rich in dietary fibre, unsaturated fats and other many nutrients linked to good heart health. Various studies in the past have established the benefits of eating avocado to managing high cholesterol.

This new study spanned over three decades, involving more than 68,780 women between ages 30 and 55, and 41,700 men aged 40 and 75 in the US. According to the researchers, this is the largest study to support the positive link between avocado consumption and lower cardiovascular incidents. Lorena S. Pacheco is the lead author of the study, and she says:

Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component in cardiovascular disease prevention.

Replace these with avocado

According to the research, substituting half a serving of butter, margarine, yoghurt, cheese, egg, or processed meat such as bacon with the same amount of avocado could significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease events.

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Dr Pacheco believes the study’s findings provide useful guidance for healthcare professionals.

[suggesting that people] replace certain spreads and saturated fat-containing foods, such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something physicians and other health care practitioners such as registered dietitians can do when they meet with patients, especially since avocado is a well-accepted food.

However, the study did not find any additional benefit in replacing olive oil with avocado oil, for instance.