health benefits of avocado

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Benefits of avocado

Avocados provide more than just important nutrients. They may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity, and improve cognitive function and digestive health.

Increase satiety

Eating healthy fats can help slow gastric emptying, keeping you full longer than usual and delaying the return of hunger pangs. Avocados' fat content comes primarily from heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which help increase feelings of satiety.

Help control weight

Eating healthy fats is a smart weight management strategy. Eat one avocado a day for 12 weeks on a calorie-controlled diet to gain fat and calories while losing weight.

The plant fats in avocados may provide antioxidants and fight inflammation, which has been linked to healthy weight management. Eating avocados regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight, even if you consume no fewer calories.

Avocados can increase the intake of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows the digestion and absorption of ingested fats and carbohydrates. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps clear digested food from your intestines.

Over time, eating avocados reduces the ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat, which is the fat underneath the skin. This decrease means fat is being redistributed from the organs.

Protect your heart

Eating avocados can improve blood lipids and thus have cardioprotective effects. For overweight or obese people, eating an avocado a day for five weeks can lower total cholesterol, lower "bad" cholesterol, and raise "good" cholesterol. Eating avocados regularly can improve your blood lipid profile—lowering triglycerides and LDL and raising HDL.

Avocados are an excellent source of potassium, a micronutrient that helps lower blood pressure. A balance between increasing potassium and decreasing sodium can help treat high blood pressure.

Preventing Diabetic Complications

The higher blood sugar levels rise in type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, the more insulin the body produces to lower blood sugar. Eating avocado can prevent postprandial increases in insulin and blood sugar levels.

Eating avocados may also reduce belly fat, or visceral fat, over time. Visceral fat cushions the abdominal organs and is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Try substituting avocados for calories in carbohydrates to not only increase nutrition but also reduce carbohydrate intake.

Increase nutrition

Avocados can help your body absorb more antioxidants from other healthy foods.

Promote healthy digestion

Avocados have a positive impact on the gut microbiome in the digestive tract, which is home to trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material. A healthy gut microbiome can enhance immune function, fight inflammation, and prevent chronic disease.

Also, while this eating plan slightly increases calories, the waste is eliminated as more fat. In other words, the intestines don't absorb fat into the bloodstream, which may be another way avocados help with weight management.

Enhance brain function

Avocados are rich in a phytochemical called lutein, a pigment related to beta carotene and vitamin A. You probably know that lutein is one of the two main carotenoids found in the eye. Another place where lutein is found is in the brain.

For older adults, eating an avocado a day for six months improved performance on memory tests. However, taking lutein supplements did not produce the same results, so some components in avocados may improve brain function.

Protect your eyes

Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants in the eye, specifically in the macular pigment, which allows your eyes to fine-tune your vision.

Eating an avocado a day for six months increases the amount of macular pigment, which is due to an increase in zeaxanthin. Additionally, avocados appear to increase lutein absorption more than just taking a lutein supplement, possibly due to the healthy fats in them.

Anti-cancer properties

As mentioned earlier, avocados are rich in antioxidants. Avocado pulp or extracts from the fruit have been found to have anti-cancer properties. Extracts containing various antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene and vitamin E can stop the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Avocado nutrition

A whole avocado (without skin and seeds) provides the following nutrients:

Calories: 322 calories
Protein: 4 grams
Carbohydrates: 17 grams
Folic acid: 163 mcg
Vitamin K: 42 mcg
Vitamin C: 20 mg
Vitamin E: 4 mg
Potassium: 975 mg
Magnesium: 58 mg

At over 300 calories, an avocado may seem like a lot, but they mainly come from nearly 30 grams of healthy fat.

Most carbohydrates contain 13 grams of fiber, which is half the recommended amount for adults. On average, a Hass avocado contains 30% soluble fiber and 70% insoluble fiber.

Folate is one of several B vitamins responsible for energy metabolism and new cell production, and accounts for 40% of the daily value.

Avocados contain more than 30% of your daily value of vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting and bone health.

Containing more than 20% of the daily value of water-soluble antioxidants, Vitamin C supports immune health and aids in collagen synthesis, promoting wound healing.

4 mg of vitamin E represents 26% of the daily value of vitamin E.

Avocados also contain minerals. Nearly 30% of the daily value of potassium and nearly 20% of the daily value of magnesium, a mineral necessary for the body's structure and chemical reactions, is found in this fruit.