Eating two servings of avocados a week linked to lower risk of
cardiovascular disease
Date:
March 30, 2022
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
A 30-year study of more than 110,000 health professionals found
that participants who ate at least two servings of avocado a week
had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who
rarely ate avocados.
Replacing animal products like butter, cheese or bacon with
avocado was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular
disease events.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Eating two or more servings of avocado weekly was associated with a lower
risk of cardiovascular disease, and substituting avocado for certain fat-containing foods like butter, cheese or processed meats was associated
with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events, according to new
research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association,
an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.
========================================================================== Avocados contain dietary fiber, unsaturated fats especially
monounsaturated fat (healthy fats) and other favorable components that
have been associated with good cardiovascular health. Clinical trials
have previously found avocados have a positive impact on cardiovascular
risk factors including high cholesterol.
Researchers believe this is the first, large, prospective study to
support the positive association between higher avocado consumption and
lower cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.
"Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component
in cardiovascular disease prevention," said Lorena S. Pacheco, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., R.D.N., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research
fellow in the nutrition department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
Public Health in Boston. "These are particularly notable findings since
the consumption of avocados has risen steeply in the U.S. in the last
20 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
For 30 years, researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55
years) from the Nurses' Health Study and more than 41,700 men (ages 40
to 75 years) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All study participants were free of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke
at the start of the study and living in the United States. Researchers documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes during
more than 30 years of follow-up.
Researchers assessed participants' diet using food frequency
questionnaires given at the beginning of the study and then every four
years. They calculated avocado intake from a questionnaire item that
asked about the amount consumed and frequency. One serving equaled half
of an avocado or a half cup of avocado.
The analysis found:
* After considering a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors
and overall
diet, study participants who ate at least two servings of avocado
each week had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21%
lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who never
or rarely ate avocados.
* Based on statistical modeling, replacing half a serving daily of
margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese or processed meats such as
bacon with the same amount of avocado was associated with a 16%
to 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease events.
* Substituting half a serving a day of avocado for the equivalent
amount of
olive oil, nuts and other plant oils showed no additional benefit.
* No significant associations were noted in relation to stroke risk
and how
much avocado was eaten.
The study's results provide additional guidance for health care
professionals to share. Offering the suggestion to "replace certain
spreads and saturated fat-containing foods, such as cheese and processed
meats, with avocado is something physicians and other health care
practitioners such as registered dietitians can do when they meet with patients, especially since avocado is a well-accepted food," Pacheco said.
The study aligns with the American Heart Association's guidance to
follow the Mediterranean diet -- a dietary pattern focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, fish and other healthy foods and plant-based
fats such as olive, canola, sesame and other non-tropical oils.
"These findings are significant because a healthy dietary pattern is
the cornerstone for cardiovascular health, however, it can be difficult
for many Americans to achieve and adhere to healthy eating patterns,"
said Cheryl Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.
"We desperately need strategies to improve intake of AHA-recommended
healthy diets -- such as the Mediterranean diet -- that are rich in
vegetables and fruits," said Anderson, who is professor and dean of the
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science
at University of California San Diego. "Although no one food is the
solution to routinely eating a healthy diet, this study is evidence that avocados have possible health benefits. This is promising because it is
a food item that is popular, accessible, desirable and easy to include in
meals eaten by many Americans at home and in restaurants." The study is observational, so a direct cause and effect cannot be proved. Two other limitations of the research involve data collection and the composition of
the study population. The study analyses may be affected by measurement
errors because dietary consumption was self-reported. Participants were
mostly white nurses and health care professionals, so these results may
not apply to other groups . .
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a division of
the National Institutes of Health and the Harvard Chan Yerby Fellowship
at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lorena S. Pacheco, Yanping Li, Eric B. Rimm, JoAnn E. Manson,
Qi Sun,
Kathryn Rexrode, Frank B. Hu, Marta Guasch‐Ferr�.
Avocado Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults.
Journal of the American Heart Association, 2022; DOI: 10.1161/
JAHA.121.024014 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220330103250.htm
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