BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

• Avocados contain monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats which are linked to improved health outcomes and lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
• Pacheco et al. (Journal of the American Heart Association, 2022) examined the association between avocado consumption with total CVD, coronary heart disease, and stroke

METHODS:

• Prospective cohort study (1986 to 2016)
  • Data came from
    • NHS (Nurses’ Health Study)
    • HPFS (Health Professionals Follow-up Study
• Population
  • Women (from the NHS) and men (from the HPFS) free of cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke at baseline
• Exposure
  • Avocado intake, assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires at baseline and then every 4 years
• Study design
  • Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios
  • Adjustment was for lifestyle and other dietary factors
• Primary outcome
  • Incident cases of total CVD
    • Defined as the composite of fatal coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and fatal and nonfatal stroke
• Secondary outcomes
  • Total coronary heart disease
  • Total stroke

RESULTS:

• 68,786 women | 41,701 men
• Over the 30-year follow-up there were
  • Incident cases of CVS: 14,274
  • Coronary heart disease events: 9185
  • Strokes: 5290
• Compared with avocado non-consumers, those with a higher avocado intake (≥2 servings/week) had a lower risk of
  • CVD
    • Pooled hazard ratio (HR) 0.84 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.95)
  • Coronary heart disease
    • Pooled HR 0.79 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.91)
• There were no significant associations between avocado consumption and stroke
• For each half serving/day increase in avocado intake
  • Pooled HR for CVD was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.91)
• Replacing half a serving/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 CVD

CONCLUSION:

• Higher levels of avocado consumption was associated with a 16% lower risk of CVD and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease
• The authors suggest that replacing certain foods with avocado may reduce the risk of heart disease

Learn More – Primary Sources:

Avocado Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults

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