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Daily avocado consumption improved LDL cholesterol
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Adults who adhered to a moderate-fat diet and consumed an avocado each day exhibited greater improvements to LDL cholesterol compared with adults on a similar diet that did not include avocado, researchers reported in a new study.
The crossover, controlled-feeding trial included 45 overweight or obese adults (27 men) aged 21 to 70 years with LDL levels in the 25th to 90th percentile range and normal or well-controlled BP. All participants were randomly assigned a sequence of three diets intended to lower cholesterol for 5 weeks: a low-fat diet (24% fat) and one of two moderate-fat diets (34% fat). The moderate-fat diets were matched for macronutrients and fatty acids; however, one included the consumption of a fresh avocado each day, while the other approximated the fatty acid content of an avocado using high oleic acid oils. Participants first followed an average American diet for a 2-week run-in period prior to randomization and had a 2-week compliance break before switching between diets during the sequence period. All participants had daily weigh-ins to determine diet compliance and confirm that body weight was maintained, and were asked to maintain typical physical activity levels.
The majority of participants (90%) were compliant with the diets, as indicated by self-reported monitoring, and all maintained body weight during the study. Researchers observed significant decreases in LDL and total cholesterol compared with baseline for all three diets compared with the run-in diet. However, participants experienced a significantly greater decrease in LDL (–13.5 mg/dL) and non-HDL cholesterol (–14.6 mg/dL) while following the diet that incorporated daily avocado consumption compared with both low-fat diet and the other moderate-fat diet that did not include avocado.
The researchers also observed significant decreases in LDL particle number (–80.1 nmol/L; P=.0001), small dense LDL cholesterol (–4.1 mg/dL; P=.04) and LDL/HDL ratio (–6.6%; P<.0001) among those on the diet that included avocado, but not observed among participants on the other evaluated diets. A trend toward LDL particular number reduction was observed with the moderate-fat diet (–38 nmol/L; P=.07), but the decrease was significantly greater with the diet that incorporated avocado (–80.1; nmol/L; P=.05 for comparison).
“The [moderate-fat] diet did not have the same benefit as the [avocado] diet, which clearly indicates that other nutrients/bioactives beyond fatty acids contribute to the health benefits of avocados,” the researchers wrote. “The [moderate-fat] diet did have beneficial effects, but, importantly, the nutrient-dense food source of [monounsaturated fatty acids] (ie, an avocado) has superior effects. … Identifying other nutrient-dense foods that contain [monounsaturated fatty acids] that confer additional CV benefits, or other nutrient-dense foods (ie fruits and vegetables) that can be consumed with high [monounsaturated fatty acid] oils, will be important for evolving future dietary guidance.”
Disclosure: One researcher is a member of the Avocado Nutrition Science Advisory.
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