Cholesterol is one of the most common problems in our society, especially when we reach an age. Knowing all the consequences of having high cholesterol, it is normal that we worry more than usual about what we eat, since, once we suffer from cholesterol, if we want to lower it, food and exercise are the key.
One of the favorite foods for many is avocado, but much has been heard about it containing large amounts of calories and that, consequently, avocado makes you fat. But is that true? Does avocado make you fat? Or rather, is avocado fat bad for cholesterol? In this article we give you the answer. Read!
What is cholesterol
Cholesterol, despite the bad reputation it usually has, is one of the most important fats for our body, as it helps in the formation of membranes, regulate sex hormones and adrenals, as well as help in digestion by producing bile acids. The problem is when there is an excess or deficit of cholesterol.
High cholesterol
When we have more cholesterol than necessary, our body stores it in the walls of the arteries where, therefore, cholesterol attracts macrophages (the cells that try to phagocyte cholesterol) and muscle cells, which detect cholesterol as a wound and try to “seal” it. The result is a cluster of cells that can block the passage of blood through our body.
Low cholesterol
Cases of low or near-zero cholesterol are very few. However, it has been detected that having low cholesterol can cause a number of diseases in the body, such as depression, anxiety, cancer or premature birth. However, experts are still investigating what kind of link there is between low or no cholesterol with these types of diseases.
If you want to know more about cholesterol, we recommend the following article on What is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
Properties and benefits of avocado against cholesterol
Faced with the question of whether avocado is good or bad for cholesterol, there is a lot of data that suggests that avocado can be a great ally against cholesterol, as we see in its properties and benefits.
- Essential fatty acids: An avocado contains a lot of fats, about 14 grams of them. These acids significantly regulate triglyceride levels and prevent cardiovascular diseases, among others.
- Large amount of fiber: in addition, avocado contains a large dose of fiber, which helps us to go better to the bathroom, since it regulates our intestinal transit and maintains adequate sugar and cholesterol levels. In addition, by containing so much fiber, it makes us feel more satiated and that we do not have so much appetite.
- It contains many vitamins: especially vitamins A, B, C, D and E, being a most nutritious food that, in addition, helps our skin, hair and nails look in perfect condition.
- Excellent antioxidant: This is because it contains a lot of vitamin E. This causes it to prevent premature aging of cells, as well as the formation of free radicals.
- Great source of energy: due to all its components, especially fatty acids, avocado is a perfect food to keep us awake and full of energy all day.
However, what about avocado fat? Is it good or bad for cholesterol? Read on to find out.
Does avocado make you fat?
It is popular knowledge that avocado contains large amounts of gauze. In fact, specifically, it contains about 12 grams of unsaturated fatty acids, among which are: omega 3 acids, omega 6 acids and omega 9 acids. Although, on the other hand, I also posed about 2 grams of saturated fat. With this in mind, the following article on Differences between saturated and unsaturated fats may help you.
Having these data, it is not surprising that we wonder if the avocado makes you fat and if, therefore, the avocado is bad for cholesterol, since, if we extract the skin and bone of the avocado, and weigh its meat separately, we may throw our hands to the head because we realize that, avocado, practically is only fat.
However, this is not a bad thing, since, precisely unsaturated fats are responsible, among others, for reducing cholesterol. In this sense, we could say that the avocado is a fatty fruit that is eaten at other fats. Therefore, avocado does not make you fat. Of course, if we do not have a balanced diet and abuse its consumption, then it could make us fat.
So, is avocado fat bad for cholesterol?
Due to all the above we can affirm with total peace of mind that avocado is not bad for cholesterol. However, if you want to make a proper diet to lower your cholesterol levels, it is best to go to your doctor or a nutrition specialist to prepare the most appropriate diet for your case.
In addition, moderate consumption of avocado prevents cardiovascular diseases. If you want to lose weight while improving your cholesterol, you may be interested in the following article about Recipes to lose weight with avocado.
Foods to lower cholesterol
Luckily, today there is a wide variety of foods on the market from which we can choose and, many of them, are great allies for cholesterol. Here is a list of foods to lower cholesterol:
- Oat
- Oily fish
- Vegetables
- Leafy greens
- Citrus
- Nuts
- Soybean
- Olive oil
Now that you know the answer to the question “is avocado fat bad for cholesterol?”, you may be interested in this other article on The Best Cholesterol-Lowering Exercises.
