Decrease Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels by Eating One Avocado a Day

Avocados may not be the type of “fruit” you would expect, but an avocado it is full of powerful health benefits for your body—including their ability to decrease your bad cholesterol levels.

The body is known to produce two types of cholesterol—high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein. HDL is known as the “good” cholesterol and can help to get rid of the “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood, which can build up in your arteries.

For the study, the researchers conducted a six-month experiment involving more than 1,000 participants experiencing overweight or obesity, half of whom were instructed to eat an avocado every day while the other half continued their usual diet and told to limit their avocado consumption to less than two a month.

In the randomized trial, the team — including Penn State researchers — also found that participants who ate avocados had better quality diets during the study period.

While prior, smaller studies have found a link between eating avocados and lower body weight, BMI, and waist circumferences, this was the largest, most extensive study to date on the health effects of avocados, including a large number of participants and length of the study period.

“While the avocados did not affect belly fat or weight gain, the study still provides evidence that avocados can be a beneficial addition to a well-balanced diet,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, Evan Pugh University Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State. “Incorporating an avocado per day in this study did not cause weight gain and also caused a slight decrease in LDL cholesterol, which are all important findings for better health.”

One avocado is 322 calories, it is also high in fiber, with 13 grams in just one fruit. Avocados contain soluble fiber, a type of fiber that is known to absorb cholesterol in your bloodstream and flush it out. Eating at least 30 grams of fiber in a day can also help with weight management, lower your blood pressure, and improve your body’s insulin levels.

For the study, the researchers conducted a six-month experiment involving more than 1,000 participants experiencing overweight or obesity, half of whom were instructed to eat an avocado every day while the other half continued their usual diet and told to limit their avocado consumption to less than two a month. Fat in the abdomen and around other organs was measured precisely using MRI before and at the end of the study.