AN AVOCADO A DAY MAY HELP KEEP BAD CHOLESTEROL AT BAY
The Mediterranean
diet, includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, and foods rich in
monounsaturated fatty acids--like extra-virgin olive oil and nuts. Like
avocados, some research indicates that these not only contain better fats but
also certain micronutrients and bioactive components that may play an important
role in reducing risk of heart disease.
Eating
one avocado a day as part of a heart healthy, cholesterol-lowering moderate-fat
diet can help improve bad cholesterol levels in overweight and obese
individuals, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers evaluated
the effect avocados had on traditional and novel cardiovascular risk factors by
replacing saturated fatty acids from an average American diet with unsaturated
fatty acids from avocados.
Forty-five healthy,
overweight or obese patients between the ages of 21 and 70 were put on three
different cholesterol-lowering diets. Participants consumed an average American
diet (consisting of 34 percent of calories from fat, 51 percent carbohydrates, and
16 percent protein) for two weeks prior to starting one of the following
cholesterol lowering diets: lower fat diet without avocado, moderate-fat diet
without avocado, and moderate-fat diet with one avocado per day. The two
moderate fat diets both provided 34 percent of calories as fat (17 percent of
calories from monounsaturated fatty acids/MUFAs), whereas the lower fat diet
provided 24 percent of calories as fat (11 percent from MUFAs). Each
participant consumed each of the three test diet for five weeks. Participants
were randomly sequenced through each of the three diets.
Researchers found:
·
Compared
to the baseline average American diet, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) -- the so
called 'bad cholesterol' -- was 13.5 mg/dL lower after consuming the moderate
fat diet that included an avocado. LDL was also lower on the moderate fat diet
without the avocado (8.3 mg/dL lower) and the lower fat diet (7.4 mg/dL lower),
though the results were not as striking as the avocado diet.
·
Several
additional blood measurements were also more favorable after the avocado diet
versus the other two cholesterol-lowering diets as well: total cholesterol,
triglycerides, small dense LDL, non-HDL cholesterol, and others.
These measurements
are all considered to be cardio-metabolic risk factors in ways that are
independent of the heart-healthy fatty acid effects, said Penny M.
Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., senior study author and Chair of the American Heart
Association's Nutrition Committee and Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at
Pennsylvania State University, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
"This was a
controlled feeding study, but that is not the real-world -- so it is a
proof-of-concept investigation. We need to focus on getting people to eat a
heart-healthy diet that includes avocados and other nutrient-rich food sources
of better fats," Kris-Etherton said.
"In the United
States avocados are not a mainstream food yet, and they can be expensive,
especially at certain times of the year. Also, most people do not really know
how to incorporate them in their diet except for making guacamole. But
guacamole is typically eaten with corn chips, which are high in calories and
sodium. Avocados, however, can also be eaten with salads, vegetables,
sandwiches, lean protein foods (like chicken or fish) or even whole."
For the study
researchers used Hass avocados, the ones with bumpy green skin. In addition to
MUFAs, avocados also provided other bioactive components that could have
contributed to the findings such as fiber, phytosterols, and other compounds.
According to
researchers, many heart-healthy diets recommend replacing saturated fatty acids
with MUFAs or polyunsaturated fatty acids to reduce the risk of heart disease.
This is because saturated fats can increase bad cholesterol levels and raise
the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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