Tuesday 19 January 2016

5 SUPERB AVOCADO HEALTH BENEFITS

Avocado is a popular and cheap seed fruit locally available commonly used by people who are keen on their health.  The flesh can be eaten raw, mixed with food (because of its flavored and creamy feel) or make food salads.

According to National Institute of Health, Avocado serving contains:-
  • dietary fiber
  • potassium
  • sodium
  • magnesium
  • vitamin A
  • riboflavin
  • pantothenic acid
  • vitamin B-6
  • folate
  • niacin
  • vitamin C
  • vitamin E
  • vitamin K1
  • choline
  • lutein/zeaxanthin
  • phytosterols
  • monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)
  • polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA),
  • saturated fatty acids (SFA) [1]

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO INCLUDE:-

Reduces risks of heart diseases- 

It caught me as a surprise at first considering that avocado has high fat content and it is being branded as heart friendly.

Avocado contains monounsaturated fats (MUFA)  and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Both MUFA and PUFA makes 84% of the total fats in an avocado serving. The other 16% is saturated fats. The saturated fats in avocado decreases as it ripens and the monounsaturated oleic acid increases. [1]


Both MUFA and PUFA help in removing bad cholesterol from the body. [2][3]. Cholesterol -a fat like and waxy substance- is bound to lipoprotein which carries it around the body. There are two types of lipoprotein;

  • Low density lipoprotein. (LDL) or the 'bad' cholesterol
  • High density lipoprotein. (HDL) or the 'good' cholesterol
LDL builds up along the wall of blood vessels forming a plaque which causes clogging of blood vessels. HDL cholesterol carries the blood cholesterol to the liver where they are excreted from the body. [4] 
Avocado enriched diet helps to keep the lipid profile under control even among individuals with high cholesterol levels by lowering the triglycerides and 'bad' cholesterol and increasing the 'good' cholesterol levels in the blood. [1]

Avocado also contains B Vitamins  which is good in regulation of homocysteine level. High level of homocysteine level is associated with damage directed to the inner layer of blood vessels which is a risk factor to both blood vessel and heart problems.[5]

According to CDC, excess sodium in the blood increases blood pressure and the risks of heart diseases and stroke. The potassium contained in avocado is suitable in regulation of blood pressure by blunting the effect of sodium. The more potassium our body derives from the diet the more sodium is lost from the body through urine. [6]

Avocado is loaded with choline, an important micro-nutrient people  don't get enough of.

Choline is an essential nutrient that most of the people are getting less of. Though that body is also able to synthesize choline it can not meet the daily requirements. [10]

Consumption of diet with choline has gathered substantial public health interest because of its exceptional health benefits. They play important role in:-
  • Growth and development of brain and its memory function in fetus and newborns.[10]
  • Is also useful in synthesis and release of a chemical called acetylcholine -brain neurotransmitter. [9]
  • Promotes development of brain and spinal cord bony structure which helps in prevention of neural tube defects like spina bifida and encephally during intra-uterine fetal development.[10]
  • Babies born by mothers who are alcoholics can also benefit from choline. Choline helps to ameliorate exposure effects of alcohol during intra-uterine life and even after birth during infancy period.[10]
  • Choline promotes growth of memory centers in the brain which boosts memory performance, intelligence quotient in children.[10]
  • High levels of plasma choline have possible health effect in prevention of cardiac diseases, dementia or cognitive decline and certain cancers like breast cancer.[10]
Low choline levels in blood is associated with pregnancy complications like premature births, high blood pressure with protein loss in urine (pre-ecclampsia) and very low birth weight babies. [9]
Choline may have a possible effect in ameliorating anxiety symptoms. [9] 

Delayed aging process
The carotenoid and Vitamin A, C and E contained in avocado enhances healthy growth of skin keeping it moist, smooth and supple. they also prevents sun burns and development of early skin wrinkles which is associated with aging.
Helps in digestion and absorption of nutrients
Avocado contain dietary fiber which is essential for smooth movement of food along the Castro-intestinal tract. It also contain fat content forming a suitable media for absorption of fat soluble nutrients like Vitamin A, D, E and K.

Decreases the risk of Arthritis and osteoarthritis
Arthritis is inflammation of joints and osteoarthritis is a degenerative disorder involving joints. Avocado contains phytosterols, monounsaturated fat and carotenoid nutrients which have showed prevent inflammatory process. This anti-inflammatory property is associated with reduced risk of arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Prevention of cancers
Oxidation stress has been linked with most etiologies of age related cancer.[8] Avocado contains antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin C, that helps to prevent oxidation stress by neutralizing free radicals. This forms the basis for prevention of cellular destruction that comes along with production of free radicals. The risks of prostatic, colonic, skin and mouth cancer are reduced but there is risk associated with likelihood of breast cancer later during postmenopausal stages.


Control of weight.
According to PubMed Health, more energy intake than energy expenditure will result into weight gain. [7]
Consumption of foods that are relatively low in calorie content can be useful in supporting weight loss and maintenance of healthy weight. Avocados are medium energy-dense diet and can fit well into restricted calorie diet plan in supporting weight loss programs.Avocado contains dietary fiber which adds bulk to food, promotes feeling of satiety. [1]  


REFERENCES:-
1.  Hass Avocado Composition and Potential Health Effects- PMC, US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health. by Mark L. Dreher and Adrienne J. Davenport. Published online 2013 May 2. Viewed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/ viewed on 09/06/2015.
2. Monounsaturated fats- American Heart Association. Updated: Aug 5, 2014. Viewed at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Monounsaturated-Fats_UCM_301460_Article.jsp. Viewed on: 09/06/2015.
3. Polyunsaturated Fats- American Heart Association. Updated:May 7,2015. Viewed at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Polyunsaturated-Fats_UCM_301461_Article.jsp. Viewed on: 09/06/2015.
4. High Blood Cholesterol- PubMed Health. Last Update: June 11, 2014. Viewed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0063067/. Viewed on: 09/06/2015.
5. Homocysteine- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Viewed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homocysteine. Viewed on: 09/06/2015.
6. A primer on potassium- American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Viewed at: http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/what-about-potassium/. Viewed on 13/06/2015
7. Overweight and Obesity- PubMed Health. Updated: June 11, 2014. Viewed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0063069/. Viewed on:13/06/2015. 
8. Oxidative stress- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Viewed at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidative_stress#Oxidative_stress_and_diseases. Viewed on: 13/06/2015
9. Choline -wikipedia,the free encyclopedia. Last edited on 25th May, 2015 by Anonymous. Viewed at: https://www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/choline. Viewed on: 15/06/2015.
10. Choline: An Essential Nutrient for Public Health - By Steven H. Zeisel, M.D., Ph.D and Kerry Ann da Costa, Ph.D. Viewed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2782876. Viewed on 14/06/2015.