Key TakeawaysA new study found that eating two servings of avocados each week may support heart health.Eating avocados instead of certain saturated fat sources, like cheese, yogurt, and processed meats, was also found to lower heart disease risk.Avocados are one source of “healthy” fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, experts say there are other similar options if avocados are not accessible.

Key Takeaways

A new study found that eating two servings of avocados each week may support heart health.Eating avocados instead of certain saturated fat sources, like cheese, yogurt, and processed meats, was also found to lower heart disease risk.Avocados are one source of “healthy” fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, experts say there are other similar options if avocados are not accessible.

Eating two avocados every week may lower therisk of developing heart disease, according to a new study.

“What prompted the study was the gap in the literature regarding avocado intake and risk of cardiovascular disease events,”Lorena S. Pacheco, PhD, MPH, RDN, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study, told Verywell.

Pacheco added that previous studies have focused on the impact of avocados on “cardiovascular risk factors” rather than a cardiovascular event, such ascoronary artery diseaseand stroke.

The researchers also found that replacing common fat sources, like butter, cheese, processed meats, and eggs with avocados was associated with better heart health outcomes.

What Makes Avocados Nutritious?

Avocados contain a lot of beneficial nutrients, including vitamins E, K, and B. But these vitamins are also found in many other fruits and vegetables, according toKristian Morey, RD, LDN, a clinical dietitian with the Nutrition and Diabetes Education program at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

What makes avocados unique, however, is their high level of healthy fat, Morey explained. While “fat” often has a negative association, it is an essential macronutrient that our bodies need to function.

“They can help us absorb certain nutrients better, particularly fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K,” Morey told Verywell. “They can help play a protective role in our bodies. I like to point out how prone to injury would you be if you had absolutely no body fat.”

Avocados containmonounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are considered “healthy” fats.Saturated and trans fats can raiseLDL—the “bad” cholesterol—while MUFA and PUFA can lower LDL cholesterol and support heart health.

Why Is LDL Cholesterol Bad?Build-ups of LDL cholesterol are associated with higher risk ofheart attackandstroke. High levels can causeplaqueto form in your arteries and lead to serious conditions, such ascoronary artery disease (CAD)andperipheral artery disease (PAD), among others.

Why Is LDL Cholesterol Bad?

Build-ups of LDL cholesterol are associated with higher risk ofheart attackandstroke. High levels can causeplaqueto form in your arteries and lead to serious conditions, such ascoronary artery disease (CAD)andperipheral artery disease (PAD), among others.

In addition to MUFA and PUFA, avocados are a great source of dietary fiber.One type of dietary fiber, calledsoluble fiber, attaches to LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract. Fiber is like a “scrub brush” of the digestive tract, Morey said, and it helps move LDL cholesterol out of the body.

She added that avocados are also a “versatile” fruit that can be incorporated into many different recipes.

Avocado Alternatives

Betweenrising grocery prices, food preferences, and dietary restrictions, avocados may not be the right choice for everyone. Pacheco stressed that avocados should be considered as just one part of a healthy eating pattern.

“It is certainly not a ‘magical bullet’ in itself,” Pacheco said.

While avocados offer many health benefits, Pacheco and her team pointed out in the study that there are alternative dietary sources that can provide similar nutrients.

“We did not observe an association when we substituted other healthy dietary fats such as olive oil, nuts, and other plants oils for avocado, suggesting that they can all be considered as healthy sources of fat,” Pacheco said.

However, oils including olive oil, vegetable oil, and avocado oil don’t provide anydietary fiber, meaning they don’t offer quite the same benefits as whole avocados. Legumes, nuts, and seeds are great sources of fiber.

Importantly, the study authors also found that replacing certain fat-containing foods—like butter, yogurt, and processed meats—with avocado led to a reduced heart disease risk.Instead of just focusing on adding avocados or other “healthy” fat sources into your eating pattern, experts say it is also essential to reduce saturated fat intake.

“Cutting back a little bit is also going to be a very beneficial step,” Morey said.

Ultimately, experts warn that suggesting one food as the “healthiest” or “best” can add unnecessary stress for individuals who can’t access that food.

“It can perpetuate all or nothing thinking. If I have this food then I’m making a ‘good’ choice but if I don’t, then I’m making a ‘bad’ choice.” Morey said. “When people use terms like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ with food, they tend to take on those labels for themselves.”

What This Means For YouIf you want to incorporate avocados into your eating pattern, experts say to try adding avocado in a smoothie instead of yogurt or using it as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise. However, experts also say that you shouldn’t fixate on one individual food. Instead, try to eat a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and “healthy” fat sources that you enjoy.

What This Means For You

If you want to incorporate avocados into your eating pattern, experts say to try adding avocado in a smoothie instead of yogurt or using it as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise. However, experts also say that you shouldn’t fixate on one individual food. Instead, try to eat a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and “healthy” fat sources that you enjoy.

Protein in Avocados

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pacheco LS, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al.Avocado consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults.J Am Heart Assoc.2022;11(7):e024014. doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.024014Mahmassani HA, Avendano EE, Raman G, Johnson EJ.Avocado consumption and risk factors for heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;107(4):523-536. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqx078Venn BJ.Macronutrients and human health for the 21st century.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2363. doi:10.3390/nu12082363Dreher ML, Davenport AJ.Hass avocado composition and potential health effects.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759American Heart Association.Dietary fats.Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Legumes and pulses.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pacheco LS, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al.Avocado consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults.J Am Heart Assoc.2022;11(7):e024014. doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.024014Mahmassani HA, Avendano EE, Raman G, Johnson EJ.Avocado consumption and risk factors for heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;107(4):523-536. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqx078Venn BJ.Macronutrients and human health for the 21st century.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2363. doi:10.3390/nu12082363Dreher ML, Davenport AJ.Hass avocado composition and potential health effects.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759American Heart Association.Dietary fats.Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Legumes and pulses.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pacheco LS, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al.Avocado consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults.J Am Heart Assoc.2022;11(7):e024014. doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.024014Mahmassani HA, Avendano EE, Raman G, Johnson EJ.Avocado consumption and risk factors for heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;107(4):523-536. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqx078Venn BJ.Macronutrients and human health for the 21st century.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2363. doi:10.3390/nu12082363Dreher ML, Davenport AJ.Hass avocado composition and potential health effects.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759American Heart Association.Dietary fats.Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Legumes and pulses.

Pacheco LS, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al.Avocado consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults.J Am Heart Assoc.2022;11(7):e024014. doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.024014

Mahmassani HA, Avendano EE, Raman G, Johnson EJ.Avocado consumption and risk factors for heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;107(4):523-536. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqx078

Venn BJ.Macronutrients and human health for the 21st century.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2363. doi:10.3390/nu12082363

Dreher ML, Davenport AJ.Hass avocado composition and potential health effects.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759

American Heart Association.Dietary fats.

Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Legumes and pulses.

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