A recent study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that eating avocado may help reduce heart disease risk.
The research is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and was conducted by Lorena S. Pacheco et al.
Avocados are an excellent source of magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K. In addition, avocados are the only fruit apart from olives to contain monounsaturated fats.
Although previous research has shown that eating avocado can provide lots of health benefits, the link between avocado intake and long‐term heart disease risk is unclear.
In the study, the team examined 68,786 women from the NHS (Nurses’ Health Study) and 41,701 men from the HPFS (Health Professionals Follow‐up Study; 1986–2016).
These people were free of cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke. The team examined their diet with food frequency questionnaires every 4 years.
Over 30 years of follow‐up, there were a total of 14 274 incident cases of heart events (9185 coronary heart disease events and 5290 strokes).
The team found that compared with non-consumers, people who ate avocado frequently (≥2 servings/week) had a 16% lower risk of heart disease risk and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
The researchers did not find strong associations between avocado-eating and stroke risk.
They also found that replacing half a serving/day of margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese, or processed meats with the equivalent amount of avocado was linked to a 16% to 22% lower risk of heart disease.
These findings suggest that higher avocado intake was linked to a lower risk of heart disease in US men and women. The replacement of certain fat‐containing foods with avocado could lead to a lower risk of CVD.
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If you care about heart health, please read studies how to prevent heart attack in people with diabetes, and what to eat if you have a heart rhythm problem.
For more information about stroke, please see recent studies about how to reverse heart failure with diet, and case showing that vitamin C may help treat heart rhythm problem.
