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TRADEThis view shows avocados produced in Mexico displayed for sale at a Walmart store in Mexico City on October 27, 2025. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP) (Photo by YURI CORTEZ/AFP
Eating an avocado a day could decrease the risk of heart disease in adults with obesity, according to a recent study out of Pennsylvania State University
Avocados have healthy fats, but they are not a low-calorie food.
Each one typically has between 200 and 300 calories, depending on its size
The study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, showed evidence that regularly eating avocados helped reduce the concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood. This corresponded to a 4% reduction in heart disease risk
What is LDL?
LDL are the proteins that transport cholesterol throughout the body.
LDL, also known as “bad cholesterol” can pose a higher risk to people who are obese, researchers said.
What they’re saying:
“If people want to improve the quality of their diet, making one small change might be a more feasible strategy than attempting to change their entire diet,” said Janhavi Damani, postdoctoral scholar at Penn State and first author of the study. “For people with obesity, including avocados in their daily diet might be a good starting place.”
Positive health impacts of avocados
Big picture view:
Researchers found that while regularly eating avocados did not necessarily make people with obesity lose weight, it did reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the body.
By the numbers:
“Four percent is a modest reduction compared with the 14% to 29% lower heart disease risk associated with improving the overall diet,” Damani said. “However, it is a step in the right direction.”
An earlier study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association also found similar positive results.
After adjusting for lifestyle and other dietary factors, consumers who ate avocados two or more times a week had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who did not eat avocados
Replacing half a serving per day of margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese or processed meats with the equivalent amount of avocado was associated with a 16% to 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease
Theased on a study conducted by researchers from Pennsylvania State University and previous reporting by FOX News. This story was reported from San Jose.
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