Six months of eating 1 avocado a day lowered LDL particle concentrations by an average 49 nanomoles per liter in adults with abdominal obesity, a change researchers linked to about a 4% lower heart-disease risk.
The Journal of Clinical Lipidology study analyzed 786 adults aged 25 and older in a randomized trial that compared a daily avocado addition with usual diet and lifestyle, without other required changes.
Benefits appeared across age, sex, race, ethnicity and body-mass-index groups, while weight and waist circumference did not significantly change.
Researchers said avocados' monounsaturated fats, fiber and phytosterols likely drove the LDL improvement, but stressed the fruit should replace less healthy fats rather than serve as a standalone heart-disease strategy.
The findings were limited to adults with abdominal obesity and did not measure actual heart attacks or strokes; the risk estimate was inferred from established LDL-cardiovascular links.