Pass the MUFAs (Guacamole)!
Are avocados good for your heart?
Rudolph Hess was a California mail carrier in the 1930’s. Newly married, he was looking for other ways to support his family. While reading a magazine, he saw an advertisement about the money in growing avocados. Using his savings, plus a loan from his sister, he bought a small avocado grove in La Habra Heights. Through the technique of grafting, he created a new variety of avocado tree. This new “Hass” tree grew rapidly, produced much fruit, and had a great taste. In 1935 he patented the tree. The Hass avocado has become the most produced avocado in the United States. Here’s his avocado tree patent:
Cool. Given the price of avocados, I bet he became rich!
Unfortunately, Mr. Hass made very little from his patent. Growers would buy only one tree from his grove. Then they would graft the bud wood from the Hass tree onto all their other trees without giving him the royalties.
Ouch. What happened to Mr. Hass?
Both his patent and his life expired around the same time in 1952. Hass suffered a heart attack and died of heart failure one month later.
Good Story. Tell me, where do avocados come from anyway? They look weird.
The oldest avocado pit is about 9,000 years old and was found in a cave in Mexico. Before Columbus, native people grew the avocado from Mexico to Peru. The look and texture of the avocado has given it many names including alligator pear, midshipman’s butter, vegetable butter, and butter pear.
I like my avocados in sandwiches. How else is it used?
In central America the whole avocado is seasoned with salt and eaten with tortillas and coffee. An avocado has about 300 calories. In Brazil, avocado is mashed into sherbet, ice cream, and even milk shakes.
I like the ice cream part. Where do we get the idea that avocados are good for your heart?
Avocados contain a high amount of good fat called mono-unsaturated fat (MUFAs for short). The amount of MUFAs in 1 Hass avocado is about the same as in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, or in about 30 almonds. It also contains plant sterols and fiber which lower cholesterol.
You’re telling me that if I eat a “fatty” food like an avocado, it will lower my cholesterol?!?
One review of studies found that a daily avocado in place of animal fats, dropped total cholesterol by 19 points. That’s about the same amount of cholesterol lowering from some medications.
Holy Moley, pass the guacamole!
As is often the case with dietary science, there has been some conflicting results about the effects of avocados on cholesterol. Another review of studies found that it raised good cholesterol by 3 points, but did not lower bad cholesterol.
What do you think Doc?
One of the best studies on avocados and cholesterol was done at Penn State. Study participants ate three different diets – each one for 5 weeks. The diet where animal fat was replaced with a daily avocado, lowered bad cholesterol by 17 points. So my opinion is:
Interesting. So do any studies show avocados reduce heart attacks?
No study shows that avocados themselves prevent heart attacks. But remember avocados contain a lot of MUFA’s. The PREDIMED study took 7,447 people at high risk for heart attacks and had some of them eat a MUFA rich diet. After 5 years, heart attacks and strokes had dropped by 30% in the MUFA diet group.
One study? Big Whoop.
Here’s one of my favorites. The LYON HEART study had heart attack survivors eat a diet high in MUFA’s. They even measured their blood to verify that participants were actually eating MUFAs. After four years, they observed that it only took five people to eat a diet high in MUFAs, to prevent one heart problem. Furthermore, large observational studies show that populations with diets high in MUFAs have far fewer heart attacks than peoples who don’t eat them.
Hmmm. Maybe there is something to MUFAs. What foods are high in MUFAs?
Okay Doc, what’s the final word?
Diets high in MUFA foods, like avocados, prevent heart disease. The benefits are found in people who likely replace animal (saturated) fats with plant and fish (mono and polyunsaturated) fats. In conclusion, an avocado a day, not an apple, keeps the cardiologist away.
Thanks for the tip lubdubdoc. As an aside, having lived in Brazil and having had avocado smoothies, the amount of sugar you have to put it to make it palatable probably outweighs any benefit. Stick with guacamole. Cheers.