For years, the humble avocado, or alligator pear as it’s sometimes called, was considered a no-go food when it came to losing weight or eating for heart health. However, this viewpoint is shifting as more people begin to understand the incredible health benefits of this unusual fruit. Instead of harming your heart, the avocado actually has the ability to heal it. Eating an avocado each day is one of the best natural things you can do for not just your heart, but for your overall health.
Reduce risk of coronary heart disease
Low-fat diets were once touted as the healthiest option, but more recently, scientists discovered that fats are necessary for fighting disease. In particular, monounsaturated fats are the healthiest of all, with research showing that increasing your intake by just 5 percent can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent.
Avocados are packed with healthy fats—on average, a single avocado has around 25-30 grams of fat, with around 20 grams of monounsaturated fat, about 4 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and a little saturated fat (about 4.5 grams).
Reduce cholesterol levels
While research hasn’t directly connected cholesterol with heart disease, it’s widely accepted that reducing overall cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol, in particular, is beneficial for heart health. Doctors often recommend eating fiber-rich foods like oatmeal to help with this, but avocados may be even more effective. A single avocado provides around 13 grams of dietary fiber, including roughly 70% insoluble fiber and 30% soluble fiber.
Regularly consuming avocados could reduce your total cholesterol by 18.80 mg/dL, your LDL by 16.50 mg/dL, and triglycerides by 27.20 mg/dL. Researchers believe eating avocado helps with the breakdown of lipoproteins and inhibits the secretion of lipoproteins from the liver, leading to lower cholesterol levels. In general, you can expect a 16 percent decrease in total cholesterol levels.
Reduce blood pressure
One of the key reasons avocados are considered a superfood is their high levels of various micronutrients, including potassium, which has been shown to have significant heart health benefits. High blood pressure can triple your risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke, but avocados’ potassium content provides antihypertensive properties that can help combat this. In fact, increasing your potassium intake by just 250 mg per day can have substantial blood pressure-lowering effects.
Support healthy arteries
Avocados are also packed with antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, making them one of the most beneficial antioxidant-rich fruits available. These antioxidants not only help prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol (which can increase the risk of plaque and stroke) but also support arterial plaque stabilization and slow down the progression of plaque formation.
Best of all, adding an avocado to your daily diet won’t contribute to weight gain! Most experts recommend eating half of a medium to large avocado each day.
Avocado’s heart-healthy benefits aren’t limited to just the examples listed above. This fruit also offers a range of other benefits, from promoting healthy digestion to boosting your immune system. So, don’t hesitate to make avocados a regular part of your diet and take advantage of all the incredible health benefits they have to offer!
