Drinking one avocado a day lowers cholesterol.

A new study by doctors from the state of Pennsylvania suggests that consuming just one avocado per day can help avoid “bad cholesterol”.

According to the researchers, the concept of bad cholesterol can refer to both oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and small dense particles of LDL.

In a randomized, controlled, nutritional study, researchers found that eating one avocado per day was associated with lower levels of LDL (especially small, dense particles of LDL) and oxidized LDL in adults who are overweight or obese..

“We were able to show that when people included one avocado per day in their diet, they had fewer small dense particles of LDL than before the diet. Therefore, people should consider adding avocados to their diet in a healthy way, for example, on whole wheat toast or as a vegetarian sauce, ”said Penny Chris-Etherton, one of the authors of the work.

In particular, research showed that avocados helped reduce the amount of LDL particles that were oxidized.. Just as oxygen can damage food - for example, a chopped apple turns brown - researchers believe that oxidation is also harmful to the human body..

“Many studies indicate that oxidation is the basis for diseases such as cancer and heart disease.”. We know that when LDL particles are oxidized, a chain reaction begins that can contribute to atherosclerosis, ”Chris-Etherton said..

Researchers Recruited 45 Overweight or Obese Adult Participants for the Study. At the beginning of the study, all participants followed a two-week break-in diet. This diet mimicked the average American diet and allowed all participants to start a study with a similar diet..

Each participant then completed five weeks of three different treatment diets in a randomized manner.. Diets included a low fat diet, a moderate fat diet and a moderate fat diet that included one avocado per day. A moderate-fat diet without avocados has been supplemented with very healthy fats to match the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids to be obtained from avocados..

After five weeks, participants with an avocado diet had significantly lower levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol than before the start of the study or after the completion of low and moderate fat diets. Participants also had higher levels of lutein, an antioxidant, after an avocado diet..

The researchers added that since the same monounsaturated fatty acids found in avocados are present in a moderate-fat diet without avocados, it is likely that the fruit contains additional bioactive substances that have contributed to the benefits of the avocado diet.

Source: newsyou. info.

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