The Green Giant: 5 Amazing Health Benefits of Eating Avocados

Not that you need more excuses to eat avocado every day, but if you have a guilty conscience about it for some reason (caloric, financial) - here are 5 studies that will help you feel great about it

Walla!

health

22/02/2022

Tuesday, 22 February 2022, 07:42

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Avocado is a fruit (yes, it is a fruit) that is gaining a lot of popularity, and not in vain.

Besides being terribly tasty and upgrading any sandwich or salad, it is considered a superfood and has many proven health benefits.

Avocados contribute to heart health, help reduce cholesterol levels, it can help with weight loss and even strengthens the brain.

All of these important health benefits have been scientifically proven in studies conducted over the years, so this green giant has receipts.

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To the full article

Good for the digestive system

Scientists have found that eating avocados has a positive effect on the health of the digestive system and stomach.

Adding avocados to one meal a day leads to a significant improvement in the bacterial diversity in the gut bacterial population that aids in the proper and healthy functioning of the digestive system.

The study examined 163 participants aged 25-45, with overweight or obesity.

For each of the participants the researchers replaced one of the meals of the day with the meal they composed.

The experimental group received a meal that contained avocado, while the control group received the same menu - but no avocado.

The results revealed that although avocado is a high-fat food and the participants in the experimental group consumed more calories daily than their control group members, they also burned more fat than them.

Burning fat at a higher rate means that those participants who ate avocados accumulated less fat in their body cells than the food they consumed.

The researchers added that avocados have a lot of dietary fiber and monounsaturated fat, which are two components that contribute to heart health, and also that eating avocados caused participants to develop a more diverse population of intestinal bacteria, which streamlines the process of breaking down dietary fiber.

Even in its core there are treasures.

Avocado (Photo: ShutterStock)

Reduces cholesterol

Incorporating avocados into your daily diet can also help reduce cholesterol levels, a problem that quite a few of the population in the Western world is dealing with.

LDL cholesterol (also known as "bad" cholesterol) accumulates inside the arteries, narrowing them and impeding blood flow through them.

In a study conducted at Penn State University, researchers collected 45 older volunteers, who were overweight or obese.

In the first two weeks of the study all participants ate a “run” menu that simulated an average American diet.

Subsequently, participants were divided into 3 groups, each given a different menu for 5 weeks: a low-fat diet, a diet with a moderate fat content and a diet with a moderate fat content + one avocado per day.

The researchers found that participants in the avocado diet group had fewer oxidized particles of LDL in their blood, and also had more lutein, which may be the substance that protects LDL from oxidation.

Strengthens the eyes and vision

A study found that eating one whole avocado a day improves brain and eye function in healthy adults.

This is due to the content of lutein and some other nutrients found in avocados.

The study involved 40 participants who were in good general health and aged 50 and over.

They were asked to eat one whole fresh avocado daily for a period of six months.

Control group participants were asked to add one medium potato or a cup of chickpeas (instead of avocado) to their daily menu.

The foods given to the control group contain calories similar to avocados, but they contain almost no lutein or unsaturated fat - which are present in avocados.

The researchers found 25 percent more lutein in the eyes of participants in the experimental group who ate avocados each day.

The same participants received higher scores from the control group members also in cognition tests that measured their memory, processing speed, and concentration levels.

It pays to add it to the menu every day.

Buddha Ball with Avocado (Photo: ShutterStock)

Fights diseases

Avocado stone peel may be a gold mine of powerful compounds against a variety of diseases.

In addition, they may also be a substance that increases the effectiveness of cosmetics, perfumes and other consumer products.

In a study, researchers dried the core husks of 300 avocados and ground them into a powder.

In further processing, they were able to produce two products from the powder: oil and wax.

In the oil extracted from the peels of the avocado kernels, the researchers found 116 different natural compounds, and in the wax 16 compounds.

These compounds have been found to have medicinal properties that can be used to treat a variety of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and more.

Among the compounds the researchers discovered: behenyl alcohol (also known as docosanol), an important ingredient in many antiviral drugs, heptacosane - a substance that can inhibit the development of tumor cells and dodecanoic acid - which has been shown to help increase LDL cholesterol levels (good cholesterol) that helps prevent accumulation Plaque in the arteries.

More about the health benefits of avocados:

• This is the amazing thing that one avocado a day can do to your weight

• 5 foods that will improve your chances of longevity

• More money in the account: Where is the most profitable to open a savings plan?

Helps treat leukemia

Researchers from Canada have found an avocado compound that may lead to better treatments for leukemia patients.

More specifically, the compound they discovered targets and attacks a very specific enzyme, which appears to play a critical role in cancer cell growth.

The study dealt with acute AML, which is the most dangerous strain of leukemia.

Most people diagnosed with AML are adults over the age of 65 and only about ten percent of them survive after 5 years from the initial diagnosis.

Leukemia cancer cells contain a relatively large amount of an enzyme called VLCAD that aids in the metabolic process of the cell.

In their search for natural compounds that effectively fight this enzyme, the researchers found that the most effective they found came from avocados.

Currently, about half of those diagnosed with AML opt for palliative care (treatment to alleviate the patient's suffering), and half for chemotherapy in an attempt to ward off the disease - but unfortunately, in most cases it worsens their condition.

Therefore, scientists are looking for other drug treatments that will be less toxic and difficult for these patients.

• health

• Nutrition and diet

• Preventive nutrition

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• Avocado

• Cholesterol

• healthy nutrition