Health Wonders Of Avocado

Health Benefits Of Avocado

 

Avocados are a stone fruit with a creamy texture that grow in warm  climates. Their potential health benefits include improving digestion, decreasing risk of depression, and protection against cancer.

Also known as an alligator pear or butter fruit, the versatile avocado is the only fruit that provides a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.

This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods. In the article, we take an in-depth look at the possible health benefits of eating avocados as well as a nutritional breakdown. To maintain balance, we will also look at the possible health risks of consuming avocados.

Benefits

Eating a diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions. Numerous studies have found that a predominantly plant-based diet that includes foods such as avocados can help to decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

1. Avocados Can Help You Lose Weight

We all can probably do with a little bit of weight loss, so every single thing helps. When it comes to fat, many people are scared, and misinformed. Fats will not necessarily cause you to gain weight, even though they yield more calories per gram when compared with the other macronutrients. Avocados, however, can help reduce your appetite and suppresses your overall caloric intake over the course of the day. Plus, when included in meals, you are likely to be satisfied for a far long time, opposed to having a meal without ample fat.

2. Avocados Are Fiber Rich

Many people fail to get enough fiber in their diets today, for one reason or another. Frequently, it occurs as a result of eating too many processed foods, and not consuming enough whole foods. If you dislike vegetables, there is still hope. Avocados contain both of the essential fiber; soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber plays an important role in supporting the microbiome of our gut, while insoluble fiber helps support regularity. Both have important roles to play, so it is important that you get both every day.

3. Great for vision

Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that are especially concentrated in the tissues in the eyes where they provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage, including from ultraviolet light.

As the monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados also support the absorption of other beneficial fat-soluble antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, adding avocados to your diet may help to reduce the risk of developing age-related muscular degeneration.

4. Avocado Can Function As Aphrodisiacs

Yes, as was briefly mentioned above, the word avocado originated from the Aztec people and meant testicle. The reason behind this? Avocados were believed to be strong aphrodisiacs. Even though they are not true aphrodisiacs in the sense of the word, they were definitely on to something. Avocados are rich in saturated fat, which is important in the synthesis of testosterone. It is no coincidence that modern diets that seek to actively restrict fat intake coincide with lowest testosterone levels, and with it, low sex drive. So indirectly, avocados are indeed aphrodisiacs.

5. Cancer

Adequate intake of folate from food has shown promise in protecting against colon, stomach, pancreatic, and cervical cancers.

Although the mechanism behind this apparent reduction in risk is currently unknown, researchers believe that folate protects against undesirable mutations in DNA and RNA during cell division.

Avocados may even have a role to play in cancer treatment, with some research finding that phytochemicals extracted from avocado can selectively inhibit the growth of precancerous and cancerous cells and cause the death of cancer cells, while encouraging the proliferation of immune system cells called lymphocytes.

These phytochemicals have also been shown to decrease chromosomal damage caused by cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug.

Helps With Diabetes Management

Diabetes control is tough, with not many foods offering decent support. Many people try to find better carbohydrate sources, but often that alone is insufficient. However, avocados are not your average carbohydrate heavy fruit, as they contain lots of good fat, which acts to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. Since type 2 diabetics also have poor insulin sensitivities, it is a good course of action to slow down the speed of absorption to allow insulin a greater time to process the carbs.