An Avocado Each Day May Keep Bad Cholesterol At Bay

(CBS) – They say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", but a new study from Penn State found an avocado a day can keep your cholesterol at bay.

Researchers looked at 45 overweight adults over five weeks and found that those who adhered to a moderate-fat diet that included a daily avocado had significantly lower levels of small, dense particles of LDL or "bad" cholesterol, which promote the buildup of plaque in arteries.

They also had higher levels of an antioxidant called lutein.

More research needs to be done to confirm this finding, but it probably wouldn't hurt to incorporate more avocados into your diet, not with mayonnaise-laden guacamole, but perhaps as whole grain avocado toast or by adding chopped avocado to a salad.