Avocados may not be quite the superfood that some claim—but eating one a day does lower levels of the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.
Benefits such as weight loss and slimmer waists, claimed by avocado advocates, weren’t picked up by a new study that claims to be the most exhaustive and definitive review of the health benefits of the fruit.
Researchers from Penn State University carried out a six-month experiment with more than a thousand participants who were overweight or obese; half ate an avocado every day, while the rest carried on with their normal diet.
The fruit didn’t shift abdominal fat or improve metabolism, but the researchers did see a slight lowering of LDL cholesterol. And the fact the fruit didn’t put on the pounds was also a positive; it means you can eat them without gaining weight, said Joan Sabate, one of the researchers.
It also added to the overall quality of the participants’ diet, and this may lower the risk for diseases such as heart problems, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers.
So, superfood? Possibly not, but it’s still a pretty good one, the researchers say.
(Source: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2022; doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.025657)
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