A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology shows that even a simple change in daily diet can help prevent arterial plaque buildup, thereby protecting cardiovascular health.
Eating one avocado a day helps improve blood lipid levels.
Scientists from Penn State University (USA) analyzed data from 786 participants aged 25 and older. These participants were obese individuals – men with waist circumferences over 100 cm and women with waist circumferences over 88 cm – and were followed for six months.
Adding an avocado to your daily diet may improve blood lipid levels.
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Participants were divided into two groups: one group continued their usual diet and physical activity, while the other group ate one avocado per day but maintained their usual diet and activity levels. Blood samples were also collected at the beginning and end of the study to measure blood cholesterol levels.
The results showed that adding one avocado to the daily diet can improve blood lipid levels, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Specifically, in the group that ate one avocado a day, the number of bad cholesterol (LDL) particles in their blood decreased by an average of 49 nmol/L. This improvement may contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the science news site Scitechdaily .
Why does avocado help reduce the risk of heart disease?
The study's author, Dr. Janhavi Damani, said that a small change in diet is much easier to make than trying to change the entire diet. For obese individuals, adding avocado to their daily diet could be a good starting point.
Researchers explain that cholesterol cannot travel through the blood on its own but is transported by protein particles called cholesterol carriers. People with more of these bad cholesterol carriers may face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease even if their total bad cholesterol levels remain unchanged.
Dr. Janhavi explained that small particles carrying bad cholesterol easily enter the artery walls, contributing to plaque formation, narrowing and reducing the flexibility of blood vessels, increasing blood pressure, and potentially causing heart attacks or cardiovascular events.
Small changes can bring big benefits.
Lead author, associate professor Kristina Petersen, said Penn State University had previously demonstrated that consuming avocados—in combination with a balanced, healthy diet—can help lower bad cholesterol and levels of cholesterol-carrying particles. The new study suggests that even without a healthy diet, simply adding one avocado a day can have a positive effect.