If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’re already aware I’m a heart doctor.
That’s why I’m always giving you advice to protect and safeguard your heart.
You see, the last thing I ever want is for you to have to come see me — or any other cardiologist for that matter...
Which brings me to why I’m writing you today:
Do you remember that old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”?
Well, it’s time to switch out that apple for a better fruit.
You see, new research has uncovered a delicious fruit sitting in your supermarket with astonishing heart-protecting qualities.
Turns out, this fruit has the ability to lower your “bad” cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.1
Now, you’re probably saying, “Okay Dr. G., what’s the fruit already?” Well, here it is:
The avocado.
Now, it’s long been known that avocados and olive oil — two popular fatty foods — are loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. That’s why it’s important to get both.
But if you had to pick one, which one should you choose?
Well, during a recent study — published in the Journal of the American Heart Association — researchers set out to answer that exact question.
Their criteria for the winner? Lowering bad LDL cholesterol.
So, the researchers gathered a group of 45 healthy — but overweight — volunteers. And they tested two different moderate-fat diets against a low-fat “control” diet.
- One moderate-fat diet involved eating an avocado every day
- The other moderate-fat diet involved eating oleic acids (such as olive oil).
The result? BOTH of these moderate-fat diets outperformed the low-fat diet in terms of lowering bad cholesterol. However...
The volunteers who ate the “avocado diet” had the biggest reduction in bad cholesterol... by far.
And this is major... because beating out olive oil in terms of heart health is no easy feat. But just take a look at the results:**
1. The avocado diet decreased bad cholesterol by 13.5 mg/dL
2. The olive oil diet decreased bad cholesterol by 8.3 mg/dL
3. The low-fat diet decreased bad cholesterol by 7.4 mg/dL
**NOTE: Unlike olives, avocados do NOT contain oleuropein — which is also crucial for vascular health. That’s the reason behind my concentrated Mediterranean Olive Leaf Extract.
So, how do you get the same results as the avocado group?
Simple. You eat one avocado every day.
According to lead researcher and Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at Penn State University, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., RD:
"Including one avocado each day as part of a moderate-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet compared to a comparable moderate-fat diet without an avocado provides additional LDL (low-density lipoproteins) lowering effects, which benefit CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk.”
And there you have it, JANIS. An avocado a day helps keep the heart doctor away.
So, the next time you make your weekly trip to the grocery store, make sure to pick up 7 avocados... and eat one each day of the week.
I can’t think of a more delicious way to protect your heart. Can you?
Looking out for you,
Steven Gundry, MD
P.S. I hope you’ve found this avocado tip helpful. And if you have any of your own health tricks, feel free to hit ‘reply’ and let me know.
Sources
1 Wang L, Bordi PL, Fleming JA, Hill AM, Kris-Etherton PM. 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. J Am Heart Assoc. Jan 7, 2015; 4 (1): e001355. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.114.001355.
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