Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing nearly 18 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization.  In the United States alone, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heart disease kills one person every 36 seconds.
Eating at least two servings of avocados a week reduced the risk of heart attack by 21% compared to avoiding or rarely eating avocados.  However, there was no equivalent benefit in reducing the risk of stroke, according to the study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
One serving of avocado, which is a fruit, was defined as “βο avocado or ½ cup avocado, which weighs about 80 grams,” said study author Lorena Pacheco, a postdoctoral researcher in nutrition at Harvard TH Chan Public Schools.
“While no food is the answer to a healthy diet, this study shows that avocados have potential health benefits,” said Cheryl Anderson, chair of the American Society of Cardiology’s Epidemiology and Prevention Council.  Anderson did not participate in the study.
“We desperately need strategies to improve the intake of AHA-recommended healthy diets – such as the Mediterranean diet – which are rich in vegetables and fruits,” said Anderson, who is also professor and rector of the Herbert Macro School of Public Health and Humanities. Wertheim.  Science at the University of California, San Diego.


LONG-TERM STUDY 
The study followed more than 68,000 women and 41,000 men who participated in two long-term state studies on risk factors for chronic disease: the Nurses Study and the Health Professionals Survey.  All participants were free of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke at the beginning of the study and completed nutritional questionnaires every four years over a 30-year period.
In addition to examining the overall effect of avocado consumption, the researchers made statistical models and found that they consumed half a serving of avocado (¼ cup) a day instead of the same amount of eggs, yogurt, cheese, margarine, butter or processed meats ( ) reduced the risk of heart attack by 16% to 22%.
“The full benefit of the avocado eating routine seen here comes from switching from avocados to diet and less healthy foods,” said Dr. David Katz, a preventative medicine and dietitian who did not participate in the study.
However, the study found no difference in risk reduction when half a serving of avocado was replaced with an equivalent serving of nuts, olives and other vegetable oils.  That makes sense, Katz said, because the health benefits depend on which food is replaced.
“If, for example, the joint exchange involved avocados and walnuts or almonds, the health effects would probably be negligible, as the food has similar nutritional and expected health effects,” said Katz, president and founder of the nonprofit. True Health Initiative.  , a global coalition of medical experts based on lifestyle data.
But if avocados replaced butter and margarine as a spread or consumed instead of processed meats or cheese in a sandwich, “dietary discrimination is great” and is expected to change the health effect, he added.
Although avocados are “extremely rich sources of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and fiber,” they can also be expensive and therefore not readily available to everyone, Katz said.  Similar substitutes could include nuts, almonds, olives, olive oil and a variety of seeds such as pumpkin and flax, he said.
Other foods that should be included and that have significant health benefits at “much lower prices” include beans, chickpeas and lentils, “and possibly whole grains and related seeds such as quinoa,” Katz said.


PREVENTION OF HEART DISEASES 
Preventing heart disease means keeping your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol under control, getting enough good quality sleep and regular exercise, managing stress, limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco, and eating a healthy diet. lower in sugar, processed foods and saturated fats.  , according to the National Library of Medicine.
The American Heart Association says your body needs fat to boost energy, protect organs, produce hormones, and help absorb nutrients.  However, fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are healthy choices for the heart.  Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sage oil and sesame oil are sources of monounsaturated fats, along with avocado, peanut butter and many nuts and seeds.
Saturated fats and trans fats increase levels of LDL, known as “bad cholesterol,” the AHA said.  Saturated fats, such as butter, are typically solid at room temperature and are found in whole fats in dairy products, eggs, coconut and palm oil and fatty pieces of beef, pork and poultry with skin.
Artificial trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated oils, increase bad LDL cholesterol and lower good HDL cholesterol, which can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These can often be found in fried foods such as fried foods. donuts and pastries, such as cakes, pie crusts, cookies, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, margarines and other spreads, “according to the AHA.