cholesterol It is a vital component of our cells, which is why our bodies make everything we need. High cholesterol is linked to many serious health problems. We know that many sources of whole food fats, such as nuts, can lower our levels. What about avocado? Can we delve into some guacamole and get cholesterol-lowering benefits, or is this just the avocado industry?
What are the risks of high cholesterol?
For most Americans who follow a traditional diet, plaques build up inside the coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. This plaque buildup is known as atherosclerosis, and it is the hardening of the arteries by pockets of cholesterol-rich fatty material that build up under the inner linings of blood vessels. This process appears to take place over decades, slowly swelling the space within the arteries, narrowing the pathway in which our blood flows.
Restricted blood circulation to the heart can lead to chest pain and pressure when we’re trying to work hard. If the plaque ruptures, a blood clot may form inside the artery. This sudden blockage of blood flow can lead to a heart attack, damage or even kill part of the heart.
Is avocado good for cholesterol?
Phytosterols are the cholesterol-lowering nutrients found in plants and avocados be The richest known source of the fruit, according to a review sponsored by the HASS Council is avocado. The operative word is fruit.
Yes avocado Contain More phytosterols than other fruits, but phytosterols are fat-soluble substances. Most other fruits contain hardly any fat at all, so it’s no surprise that avocados come out on top.
What if you compared the phytosterol content of avocados to nuts and seeds? One avocado contains about 100 milligrams of phytosterols. On the same scale, sesame seeds and tahini You have About 400 milligrams. Pistachios, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain about 300; And almonds, almond butter, flaxseeds, and macadamia nuts are about 200. Even chocolate contains about twice as many phytosterols as avocados, as you can see at 0:51 in my video Is avocado good for cholesterol?.
Although nuts and seeds contain high levels of phytosterols, studies on lowering the so-called “bad” LDL cholesterol with phytosterols have used Supplements start at 600 milligrams and go up to thousands of milligrams. So yeah, you can lower your LDL cholesterol by about 8 percent with a dose of phytosterols around 2,100 milligrams, but that would be about 20 avocados a day, as you can see at 1:17 in my country. video. 2,100 milligrams of phytosterols would also be a lot of nuts, but you can get an 8 percent drop in LDL just by Eating food A handful of nuts, just one ounce a day, as you can see in Chart below And at 1:36 in my video. So, phytosterols are not the only ingredients responsible for nuts Leadership Low cholesterol. Nuts should contain other ingredients, perhaps fiber or other phytonutrients, that contribute to lowering cholesterol. Could an avocado contain such ingredients as well? You don’t even know… put it to the test.
as you can see in Figure below And at 2:10 in my country videoThere are studies dating back more than half a century which seem to be show That if you add avocados to people’s daily meals, their cholesterol goes down. When you remove an avocado daily, their cholesterol level rises, and then drops again when the avocados are added again. The data is pretty compelling – until you see how the study was conducted. The researchers didn’t just add an avocado. They replaced animal fats. No wonder the participants had lower cholesterol! Instead of studying cholesterol and avocados, it may also be about cholesterol and being inside or outside the lard. Almost all studies on cholesterol and avocados are similar.
What happened to the researchers? Procedure A meta-analysis of ten studies involving hundreds of people? When they gathered them all together and looked at the results, what did they find? The addition of avocados appears to significantly lower cholesterol and triglycerides—an average of about 17 points in the “bad” LDL cholesterol. But, again, almost all of the studies were placebo studies, removing saturated fats from people’s diets and replacing them with avocados. If you cut back on saturated animal fats, your cholesterol will be lower will Drops. You can tell that this meta-analysis was not funded by the avocado industry because the researchers point out that “it is important to note that replacing avocados with saturated dietary fats rather than adding avocados to an already existing staple diet represents the greatest benefit.” In fact, just adding an avocado may not bring any cholesterol benefits at all.
So, yes, the avocado industry exists say Avocados are a healthier alternative to butter, ghee, cream cheese, or cream cheese, but that’s just too little.
What are the worst foods for high cholesterol?
According to William C. Roberts, editor-in-chief of American Journal of CardiologyThe only risk factor for the accumulation of fatty deposits is cholesterol, especially high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. To significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels, it appears that we need to drastically reduce our intake of the following:
- unsaturated fatsWhich comes from processed foods and naturally from meat and dairy products
- Saturated fatIt is mainly found in animal products and fast foods
- And playing a lesser role, dietary cholesterol, found exclusively in animal-derived foods, in particular egg
What are the other benefits of eating avocado?
Aside from being rich in phytosterols, what else can we get from avocados?
Reduce inflammation caused by meals
Within hours of eating a burger topped with half an avocado, the level of an inflammatory biomarker in the blood rises, but Not the same height if you ate a burger without the avocado. This may be because avocados and all whole plant foods contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation.
Rich in nutrients for eye health
Avocado contains nutrients Lutein and zeaxanthinwhich are two important carotenoids to protect our eyes.
Increase the absorption of carotene
Avocados can also enhance the absorption of carotenoid phytonutrients found in other vegetables. why? Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, are fat-soluble.
Other foods to lower cholesterol
To learn more about avocados, check out:
Why should we care about cholesterol? See for example:
What should we call it? We see Friday Flashback: Optimal Cholesterol Level.
To learn more about foods that lower cholesterol, check out Best food for high cholesterol And the Cabbage and cabbage benefits for cholesterol.
You may also be interested in Flashback Friday: Hope in exchange for cholesterol, inflammation and blood-thinning drugs.
In addition to adding cholesterol-lowering foods, we need to reduce our cholesterol intake.reinforced foods. We see:
in health,
Michael Greer, MD
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