Health Benefits of the Buttery Fruit, Yay!!
Oh yes! You have guessed it right. We are talking about avocado here! The utterly-buttery delicious avocado. You must have heard how delicious and healthy it is. But have you ever tried it? Do you know how healthy is it and how does it benefit your health? You are going to get all these answers here…
It has a tough outer shell which a little rough in texture. Dark green to even more dark shade of green in colour. It is this outer skin of this fruit which helps it providing a shield to harmful microbes or any impurities to enter the inner part. The inner layer is fleshy, soft, green — pale green to yellowish in colour and in the center is its seed.
The edible part of avocado is the soft, creamy part inside the skin. This is the part which holds the amazing benefits for you! The out tough skin and the seed of the fresh avocado is non edible portion of it.
Evidence based health benefits of avocado are due to an array of nutrients present in it. Some of the key nutrients present in it are as follows:
· To begin with it contains a good amount of dietary fiber — both soluble and insoluble. Fiber helps in carrying out a number of functions in the body. You can check my article on dietary fiber to know in detail about the same — https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/health-benefits-of-dietary-fiber-7bf75027c29a.
· Healthy Fats: — It is a rich source of a healthy fat called monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). Yes, it is true that all fat is not bad! There are a certain fats present in foods which are actually good for your body. Fats have a number of purposes to serve for body’s normal functioning. It is one of the main part of the cells, especially the cells of your brain. It helps in protecting our organs from physical shocks. It is responsible for body’s insulation. For more on types of healthy fats and the role they play please visit https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/the-fatty-facts-a25b83179d00.
MUFAs are one such important and essential healthy fats required.
· Vitamin K: Helps in blood coagulation and has a role to play in bone metabolism.
· Vitamin E and Vitamin C: Avocados are one of the few foods which contain a large amounts of vitamin E and C both. Both of these are potential antioxidants in nature which help in scavenging the harmful oxidative free radicals which are detrimental for your health in a number of ways.
· Potassium: Studies suggest that sufficient potassium intake may support blood pressure control in adults. Also, avocados are low in sodium, higher intake of which is associated with high blood pressure. Proper amounts of sodium and potassium are required for electrolyte and water regulation in the body.
· Magnesium: Magnesium acts as a cofactor for many cellular enzymes required in energy metabolism, and it may help support normal vascular tone and insulin sensitivity
· Folic Acid and Vitamin B6: These are important B vitamins, deficiencies of which increase bio-chemical compound called homocysteine in blood which may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
· Phytosterols: They help in blocking cholesterol absorption through the intestines. Present in avocados in a good amount.
· Phenolic Compounds: Fruit phenolics support the reduction in CVD risk by lowering oxidative and inflammatory stress, improving blood flow and the health of blood vessels.
· Carotenoids: It contains more of xanthophylls, a class of carotenoids including lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin in a good amount as compared to B-carotene.
Health Benefits of Avocados…
1. Reduced risk of Heart Disease and Stroke: — Due to presence of healthy fats such as MUFA and PUFA promotes heart protective functions. Also, antioxidants in the form of vitamins, fruit phenolics, carotenoids reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol which is one of the main cause for blocking of blood vessels supplying blood to heart and brain.
2. Improves Heart and blood vessel health: — Various nutrients in avocado are responsible for this effect.
3. Supports coagulation of blood and promotes bone metabolism — Vitamin K being responsible for this. Thus help in maintaining the normal consistency of blood.
4. Being rich in antioxidants helps in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body
5. Good for Skin: — The antioxidant properties of avocado especially lutein and zeaxanthin protect the skin against damage from ultra-violate radiations from Sun. Some components from avocado can also cause wound healing.
6. Lowers risk of Metabolic Syndrome:- A study in 2017 suggest that avocado intake helps in lowered risk of a cluster of disorders i.e. metabolic syndrome. It consists of health disorders such as increased triglyceride in blood (a type of lipid) — a marker of heart disease, increased waist circumference (marker of central obesity and thus health issues associated with it), lowered good cholesterol (HDL) — again factor for heart problems, increased blood glucose (risk of diabetes), and elevated blood pressure.
https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/understanding-metabolic-syndrome-a659fa7c1472
7. Promotes Eye Health: — Lutein and zeaxanthin are one of the key nutrients required to maintain good eye health. Their intake may reduce with age. Lower intake and lower concentration of these in blood (plasma) escalate age-linked eye dysfunction. Avocados being a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, help in maintaining eye health.
8. Cancer: — Avocado is considered anti cancerous due to the presence of various components in it such as carotenois, terpenoids, D-mannoheptulose, persenone A and B, phenols, and glutathione. It is believed to be efficient against oral cancer, breast cancer and it may help in reducing gastritis and gastric ulcer which is an underlying cause of gastric cancer (stomach cancer). However, the research on anti-cancerous properties of avocado is still in its preliminary stage. More work on the same is required.
9. Healthy Aging: — Numerous studies advocate that xanthophylls, such as those present in avocados, may show DNA protective and ant oxidative effects along with promising healthy aging properties.
10. Weight Management: — Several preliminary researches suggest that avocado intake may support weight control as well.
Some more health advantages:-
Another goodness of avocado being compared to other fruits, avocados contain very little sugar. The glycemic index and load of an avocado is expected to be about zero which may help manage your blood sugar levels.
A study stated that fruits and vegetables having abundant lutein and zeaxanthin — which are also present in avocado- can be responsible for decreased inflammation and reduced risk of cartilage damage which may be beneficial for those with osteoarthritis.
Last but not the least avocados are farm-to-plate food. They require no processing, use of preservatives or artificial flavour enhancers. They are ready to eat, fresh and thus nutritiois addition to your diet.
Enjoy the goodness and unique taste of this yummy fruit. How to include avocado in your diet?!! There are several ways to do so… Stay tuned for more!
Please Note
For any blood tests or various health checkups in Mumbai, please visit www.healthdekho.com
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-12-1
