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Avocados have long been revered as one of the best superfoods around, but do you know all the benefits this little fruit has to offer?
According to a new study, eating avocados can lower bad cholesterol--at least in those that are overweight or obese.
Some people might avoid avocados because of their high-fat content or because they are high in calories, but the good fat found in avocados--monounsaturated fat--is actually what can lower your cholesterol.
Researchers asked 45 overweight or obese participants to eat an average American diet (in other words, 51 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 34 percent from fat and 16 percent from protein) for two weeks to establish a common baseline for testing their cholesterol and other measurements.
Participants were then asked to engage in three separate diets for five weeks in a randomized order: a low fat diet (24 percent of calories from fat) without avocado, a moderate fat diet (34 percent of calories from fat) without avocado and a moderate fat diet with a daily serving of a whole avocado. In between the different diets, participants took a two week break to as a control for carryover benefits. Also, their meals were provided for them to ensure that they were eating the same foods.
According tot he Huffington Post, "The researchers found that all regimens helped participants lower their levels of two types of cholesterol associated with cardiovascular disease risk: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and non-high density lipoprotein (non-HDL)."
Some observed that this might have worked so well because researchers had complete control over the participants' food choices.
Nutritionist and lead author Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Ph.D. of Penn State University noted that "readers shouldn't simply start adding an avocado to their diets, especially if it's a typical American one that takes a significant number of empty calories from grain-based desserts like cookies and cakes."
"That's a recipe for weight gain," according to Kris-Etherton, "because an avocado has about 200 calories. If you want to incorporate avocados into your diet, try them as a substitute for junk food."
In some part of the world, avocados are rare and uncommon, so Kris-Etherton empathizes that one could get a good source of unsaturated fats from other foods like seeds, nuts, and oils. Interestingly, however, her research shows that the avocado diet has a significantly different impact on cholesterol and health than other food sources can.
"We don't know what it is. It could be the fiber, but it could be some other bioactive components in the avocado that are also in other plant foods or fruits and vegetables," she said. "Or they could be unique to avocado."
Next time you have a party, pull out some guacamole; you have all the science to back it up as a healthy choice!
What do you think about these health benefits? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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