A study reported at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardio-metabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2018 revealed a lower risk of dying from any cause among subjects who consumed greater amounts of
monounsaturated fat from olive and other vegetable oils, as well as avocados and seeds.*
Boost your intake of
monounsaturated fat (and fiber!) by adding one-third of an avocado to your meal.
Whether it is saturated fat, like lard,
monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, or vegetable oil, they all congeal and harden.
Researchers randomly assigned 43 people with prediabetes to eat their usual diet, a diet high in
monounsaturated fat (half of it from olive oil), or a high-fiber diet (40 grams per 2,000 calories).
Walnut oil, produced largely in France, Australia, New Zealand and the US, has a distinctive taste and provides mainly
monounsaturated fat. The best versions have a rich, sweet flavour -- use sparingly for drizzling and dressings.
The research, entitled "The Effect of a Moderate Fat Diet With and Without Avocados on Lipoprotein Particle Number, Size and Subclasses in Overweight and Obese Adults--A Randomized, Controlled Trial," conducted at Pennsylvania State University, and underwritten by the Hass Avocado Board, evaluated whether incorporating one fresh avocado into the diet daily for five weeks could reduce bad cholesterol levels more than a diet that incorporated
monounsaturated fat from vegetable oils high in oleic acid as a substitute for one fresh avocado.
Nor did it find less disease in those eating higher amounts of unsaturated fat, including
monounsaturated fat like olive oil or polyunsaturated fat like corn oil.
Packed with
monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.
As long as people don't increase the number of calories they consume daily, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease when people replace foods high in saturated fat with the
monounsaturated fat in olive oil.
For this study, a group of participants ate salads with dressings made from butter (saturated fat), canola oil (
monounsaturated fat), or soybean oil (polyunsaturated fat).
The Mediterranean diet focuses on high intake of
monounsaturated fat (found in olive, peanut and canola oils, nuts, seeds, poultry and avocados), plant proteins, fish, and whole grains, moderate alcohol intake, and low consumption of red and processed meat, refined grains, and sweets.