Eating one avocado a day can help keep 'bad cholesterol' at bay in people who are overweight or obese, reveals new research by scientists at Pennsylvania State University (USA) and published in The Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers recruited 45 adults aged between 21 and 70, with overweight or obesity, for the study. First, all participants followed a typical American diet for two weeks, with the aim of starting the experiment "on a similar nutritional 'base'," the authors explain in a statement.
After that, each adult followed three successive diets, for five weeks each, in a randomly assigned order: one low in fat and without avocado, another moderate in fat and without avocado and, finally, a moderate diet in fat that also involved eating one of those fruits every day.
Researchers found that ingesting one avocado a day was associated with lower levels of the two types of 'bad cholesterol': low-oxidized lipoprotein (LDL) and small, dense LDL particles.
"The tip of the iceberg"
Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished nutrition teacher and one of the study authors, explains that small, dense LDL particles are particularly harmful because they promote plaque buildup in the arteries.
On the other hand, "a lot of research suggests that oxidation is the basis of conditions such as cancer and heart disease," says Kris-Etherton, adding that, "when LDL particles oxidize, a chain reaction is initiated that can promote arteriosclerosis." "Oxidation is not good, so if you can help protect your body through the food you eat, that could be very beneficial," she says.
While the results of the study are already promising, the professor indicates that nutritional research on avocados is a relatively new area, so we would be "at the tip of the iceberg to know its health benefits."
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