Two or more servings – equal to one whole fruit – appear to slash the risk by 21 percent, in comparison to people who do not eat them. Also, replacing a daily half-serving of margarine, butter, egg, yoghurt, cheese or processed meats with the same amount of avocado was linked to a 16 to 22 percent lower risk of heart disease.
But substituting avocado for the equivalent daily amount of olive oil, nuts and other plant oils was no more beneficial.And no links were found between avocado and lowering stroke risks.
The fruit contains healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fibre and other key health boosts such as magnesium and vitamins C, E and K.
The findings, in the Journal of the American Heart Association, followed reports on 68,786 women in an NHS study of nurses and 41,701 men from health professionals follow-up research.