Eating an avocado every day may decrease heart disease risk in adults with obesity, according to a recent study led by researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences.
The team found that regular avocado consumption was associated with a reduced concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles — proteins that transport cholesterol through the body — in the blood by an amount that corresponds to an approximate 4% reduction in heart disease risk.
LDL is a stronger risk factor for people with obesity
LDL particles are a separate risk factor for heart disease from LDL cholesterol — the so-called “bad cholesterol” that is a significant risk for heart disease. The risk posed by LDL particles is typically higher in people with abdominal obesity, the researchers said.
LDL cholesterol must be transported through the body by a protein particle. When there are more protein particles carrying LDL, this increases the risk for heart disease, even if the amount of cholesterol remains the same.
“Imagine two people with the same high levels of LDL cholesterol,” the lead researcher said. “Person A carries their cholesterol in fewer, larger LDL particles, and Person B carries their cholesterol in more, smaller LDL particles. Person B’s heart disease risk would be higher because their overall particle count is higher even though a test of their LDL cholesterol would look identical.”
These small particles can more easily penetrate artery walls and contribute to build-up on artery walls known as plaque.
Plaque contributes to heart disease risk by restricting the amount of blood that can fit through a blood vessel and reducing the blood vessel’s flexibility. This means that when a person’s heart is working the hardest — due to exertion, heat, stress or any reason — their blood pressure will increase more because the blood vessel is unable to compensate for the increased load, which can trigger a cardiac event like a heart attack.
About the study
The researchers analyzed data originally collected from 786 participants in the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial, a six-month study of adults 25 years and older.
Men were eligible for the study if they had a waist circumference greater than 40 inches, and women were eligible if they had a waist circumference greater than 35 inches.
Half of the participants were instructed to maintain their normal diet and activity. The other half were provided with one avocado to consume each day and were instructed to maintain their normal diet and activity.
Researchers found that adding avocado to the diets of people with obesity did not change weight or waist circumference, but that it could reduce levels of LDL cholesterol.
In the current analysis, the researchers compared blood samples taken at the beginning and end of the study.
Over the course of the study, levels of LDL particles in the avocado-per-day group decreased by 49 nanomoles per liter, which corresponds to an approximate 4% reduction in heart disease risk, the researchers said.
"Four percent is a modest reduction compared with the 14–29% lower heart disease risk associated with improving the overall diet,” the study author said. “However, it is a step in the right direction."
Additionally, regardless of study participants’ sex, race, ethnicity, age or body mass index, they were equally likely to experience improvement in the LDL particle levels.
Source: Journal of Clinical Lipidology, June 12, 2026.
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