Avocado helps reduce harmful cholesterol

We have long known that avocados are rich in fat, but most of that fat is monounsaturated fat, which is considered beneficial fat.

Monounsaturated fats can help lower harmful cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack.

A team of American researchers gathered a group of 45 healthy volunteers aged 21-70 who were overweight or obese. Each volunteer was asked to follow one of three cholesterol-lowering diets for 5 weeks.

Of the 3 diets, diet 1 was low fat and no avocado, diet 2 was normal (medium) fat and no avocado, and diet 3 was normal fat with 1 avocado per day.

Researchers found that volunteers' LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol levels dropped by an average of 8.3 mg/dL after following diet 1 and 7.4 mg/dL after following diet 2. Notably, bad cholesterol levels dropped by 13.5 mg/dL when they followed diet 3.

The researchers believe that the results of this study suggest that we should replace saturated fatty acids in our diets with healthier fats from avocados and other sources.

According to Health and Life