An avocado a day may do a little good for the heart, even if the rest of a person’s diet stays the same.
New research led by scientists in Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences found that adults with obesity who ate one avocado each day for six months had lower concentrations of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, particles in their blood. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.
According to the researchers, the drop in LDL particle concentration was associated with an estimated 4 percent reduction in heart disease risk.
“If people want to improve the quality of their diet, making one small change might be a more feasible strategy than attempting to change their entire diet,” said Janhavi Damani, postdoctoral scholar at Penn State and first author of the study. “For people with obesity, including avocados in their daily diet might be a good starting place.”
The team analyzed data from 786 participants in the six-month Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial. The study included adults aged 25 and older with abdominal obesity. Men qualified if their waist circumference was greater than 40 inches, and women qualified if their waist circumference exceeded 35 inches.
Half the participants were asked to continue their usual diets and physical activity. The other half also kept their normal routines but were given one avocado to eat every day.
Earlier results from the trial showed that adding a daily avocado did not reduce body weight or waist circumference in people with obesity. But it appeared to lower LDL cholesterol levels.
For this analysis, researchers compared blood samples taken at the start and end of the trial. Among participants assigned to eat one avocado a day, LDL particle concentrations fell by 49 nanomoles per liter.
LDL particles are different from LDL cholesterol, which is often called bad cholesterol. The researchers said particle concentration can show heart disease risk that a standard cholesterol test may miss, and that this risk is often greater in people with abdominal obesity.
“Imagine two people with the same high levels of LDL cholesterol,” Damani said. “Person A carries their cholesterol in fewer, larger LDL particles, and Person B carries their cholesterol in more, smaller LDL particles. Person B’s heart disease risk would be higher because their overall particle count is higher even though a test of their LDL cholesterol would look identical.”
Damani said smaller LDL particles can more easily enter artery walls and contribute to plaque buildup.
“Four percent is a modest reduction compared with the 14-29% lower heart disease risk associated with improving the overall diet,” Damani said. “However, it is a step in the right direction.”
The improvement in LDL particle levels was consistent across participants. The researchers said sex, race, ethnicity, age and body mass index did not significantly affect the likelihood of seeing the benefit.
“Penn State researchers demonstrated several years ago that avocado consumption could reduce LDL cholesterol and levels of LDL particles,” said Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences and senior author of the study. “But in that study, the researchers controlled participants’ entire diets throughout the experiment. This study demonstrated benefits in the real world, where people’s diets are much less predictable. In the course of people’s normal lives, avocado consumption still contributes to a healthier diet.”
The researchers advised people to speak with a registered dietitian nutritionist or physician for personalized guidance before making dietary changes.
The Avocado Nutrition Center supported the research.
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