Heart disease risk drops 20pc if you eat avocados twice a week, major study shows – they provide healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and soluble fibre

A study in the US of over 110,000 people found that eating two or more servings of avocado a week reduces the risk of coronary heart disease risk by 21 per cent

Avocado flesh is a healthier substitute for margarine, butter, cheese and processed meats, the study found. However, avocado prices are at a 24-year high

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Avocados are a heart-healthy food that are associated with a 21 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, when eaten twice a week, a big new study found. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Published: 7:15pm, 4 Apr 2022Updated: 1:37pm, 5 Apr 2022

Keep eating that avocado toast.

Eating avocados two or more times a week was associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to rarely or never eating avocados, according to new research published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association. (A serving of the fruit is about half an avocado or half a cup.)

Using avocado instead of butter, cheese, processed meats or other foods higher in saturated fat was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events, including heart disease, heart attack and arrhythmia, the study found.

Researchers studied roughly 68,800 women aged 30 to 55, and 41,700 men aged 40 to 75, in the US over 30 years, who answered food questionnaires as part of their involvement in two separate studies: the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Avocado intake was analysed, along with 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes documented during more than 30 years of follow-up.