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Friday 9 January 2015

Bite Back At Bad Cholesterol: Eat An Avocado A Day

New research finds that eating an avocado per day, as part of an overall diet rich in healthy fats, may help cut the bad kind cholesterol, known as LDL.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University recruited 45 overweight participants who agreed to try three different types of cholesterol-lowering diets. Their study was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

One was a low-fat diet that included lots of fruits, low-fat dairy, poultry, whole grains and small amounts of red meat.

The other two diets were moderately high in fat, with about 34 percent of total calories consumed per day coming from fat. The types of foods and meals were similar to the low-fat diet, but included more nuts and oils.

One of the moderately high-fat diets included a daily serving of one avocado.

In one sample meal plan, lunch was chicken salad with half an avocado, and dinner included turkey tacos with another half an avocado.

The diets were similar in terms of macronutrients (like protein and fats) and calories. The only difference between the two was the avocado — the other diet had the same amount of fat from other sources.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that the avocado diet led to significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, compared with the other two diets.

To put the difference in perspective, the avocado diet decreased LDL cholesterol about 14 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Compare that with a decrease of about 7 mg/dL for the low-fat diet, and about a 8 mg/dl drop from the moderate-fat diet.

"I was surprised to see the added benefit [of the avocado]," Penny Kris-Etherton, a nutrition scientist at Penn State and the lead author of the study, tells us." It's something in the avocado" other than just the fat composition, she says.

She says she'd like to do follow-up research to look at the bioactive compounds in avocados, which may explain the added reduction in LDL cholesterol in the study participants. It's also possible that the fiber in avocados plays a role in the cholesterol-lowering effect, she says.

But one caveat for anyone who loves guacamole: When it's served up with chips, the calories can add up. A mere half-cup of guacamole has about 200 calories all on its own.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/

The study was partly funded by the Hass Avocado Board, but who cares they have many other benefits and fit in well with a LC diet.

Graham

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do not mind that this study was partly funded by the Hass Avocado Board. The proven benefits of advocados are well known. They are excellent whether you are LC or not. But as I am LCHF that is even better.

Nona

Anonymous said...

While you're biting back at cholesterol, you're also adding to your BG levels and hanging onto fat every time you do so--avocados are FULL of fructose! I quit eating avocados and re-started a stall.

Lowcarb team member said...

Anonymous said...

While you're biting back at cholesterol, you're also adding to your BG levels and hanging onto fat every time you do so--avocados are FULL of fructose! I quit eating avocados and re-started a stall.

You need to get your facts right pal, avocados are very low in fructose see here and total carbs are just 2g sugars 1g per 100g.

One things for sure avocados have a negligible effect on my BG.

Graham