What are the different nutrients in avocados?
Avocados are a nutrient-dense fruit that contains dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, monounsaturated fats (MUFA), and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, as well as phytonutrients and bioactive substances that have been linked to cardiovascular health independently. The most popular type in the US (Hass avocado) provides 13 g of oleic acid in a medium-sized fruit (136 g), which is equivalent to the amount of oleic acid in 1.5oz (42 g) of almonds or 2 tablespoons (26 g) of olive oil.
Half of an avocado, for example, contains up to 20% of the daily necessary fiber, 10% of the potassium, 5% of the magnesium, and 15% of the folate, as well as 7.5 g of MUFA and 1.5 g of polyunsaturated fatty acid.5, 8 As a result, avocados can be a nutrient-dense component of a nutritious diet.
What are the impacts of avocados on health status?
After controlling for lifestyle and socio-demographic factors such as socioeconomic status, avocado consumers have higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, a lower Risk of metabolic syndrome, and lower weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference compared to avocado non-consumers.
What are cardiovascular diseases?
The main cause of death in the United States is cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. A healthy lifestyle, including balanced food, can, nevertheless, help to avoid CVD. For the prevention of CVD, the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology recommends a heart-healthy diet with 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fatty acids (SFA) and emphasizes the substitution of SFA and trans fat with monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA).
How does the use of avocado benefit CVD?
Although avocado-induced changes in individuals' CVD risk profiles have been studied, clinical trials have been limited to intermediate risk factors as endpoints. These studies used a variable daily intake of avocado (0.5-2 avocados) and mostly looked at serum lipids. Avocado-containing diets had maintained HDL cholesterol levels when compared to low-fat, cholesterol-lowering diets, but triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and total cholesterol (TC) levels were comparable or lowered. However, avocados were used as a source of MUFA in dietary interventions that replaced macronutrients to determine the effect of dietary fat intake on serum lipids in these trials.
Diet is a key element in improving the cardiometabolic profile, thus decreasing the risk of CVD. Favorable bioactive food compounds include MUFAs and polyunsaturated fatty acids, soluble fiber, vegetable proteins, phytosterols, and polyphenols, all present in avocados. Moreover, the replacement of fats high in SFAs or trans‐fat with unsaturated fatty acids can be beneficial for CVD prevention, as indicated by leading medical entities. Thereby, our substitution analysis, estimating the risk of CVD and CHD by substituting specific types of fat‐containing food sources with avocado, is consistent and supported by this evidence. The replacement of fat‐containing foods (some with SFA) with the same amount of avocado was associated with a lower risk of CVD and CHD, while the substitution for olive oil and other plant oils yielded non-significant results. This is an important finding for public health recommendations, emphasizing the consumption of avocado and other unsaturated fats to follow a healthy dietary pattern and reduce the risk of CVD. Furthermore, 2 current analyses found a lower risk of CHD and CVD mortality when plant‐sourced MUFAs substitute animal‐sourced MUFAs as well as SFA.
References:
· 1. Mente A, De Koning L, Shannon HS, Anand SS. A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease. Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169:659–669.
· 2. Virani SS, Alonso A, Aparicio HJ, Benjamin EJ, Bittencourt MS, Callaway CW, Carson AP, Chamberlain AM, Cheng S, Delling FN, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics‐2021 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021; 143:e254–e743.
· 3. Lopez Ledesma R, Frati Munari A, Hernandez Dominguez B, Cervantes Montalvo S, Hernandez Luna M, Juarez C, Moran LS. Monounsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hypercholesterolemia. Arch Med Res. 1996; 27:519–523
