Avocados are a miracle superfood, but they used to have a bad reputation. Very few American household keep them stocked and often times, you only find them in guacamole or dips. It might be a fatty fruit—but don’t fall into the generic trap of thinking that fat is “bad.” (August 26, 2022)
It turns out that research is proving Avocados are a nutrient-rich food that protects your body from inflammation, reduces your risk for cancer, helps your heart, and promotes weight loss.
Check out the five reasons an avocado a day might actually help keep the doctor away!
1. Avocados Lower Inflammation
The first reason you need to start eating more avocado: they prevent extreme inflammatory responses. Adding avocados to your diet keeps inflammation in check, even when you eat them with something like red meat—a well-known inflammation spiking food.
Research published in the academic journal Food & Function demonstrates that eating a plain hamburger results in as much as a 70% rise in IL6—a cytokine that promotes an inflammatory response[1].
Adding an avocado to the same burger can reduce inflammation significantly. The study determined that IL6 levels when eating a burger with avocado were reduced by 40%. As a result, there was a 30% decrease in food-based inflammation just by adding avocado.
2. They Reduce Cancer Risk
Eating avocados can help prevent cancer. A prostate cancer study in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry determined that avocados contained important bioactive carotenoids that fight cancer cells.
The study found that because avocados have a unique combination of cancer-fighting agents and monosaturated fat, the compounds were more likely to be absorbed by the blood stream[2]. It turns out that having a high fat content is actually good in avocados. A higher level of fat helps your body better absorb important cancer fighting nutrients.
3. Heart Health
Natural sources of vitamin E and monosaturated fatty acids are proven components of diets that reduce abnormal cholesterol. Avocados provide an excellent source of vitamin E and monosaturated fats.
Recent studies, including one published in the peer reviewed Critical Review of Food Science Nutrition determined that eight current preliminary clinical studies of avocado consumption are leading researchers to conclude that avocados support heart health[3].
4. Helps You Lose Weight
According to another recent research study, avocados are “nutrient dense with properties that may favorably impact energy balance[4].” The study determined that adding one half of an avocado to a lunch time meal had a favorable impact on weight loss.
The key to the avocado’s effectiveness as a weight loss tool is not that it is exceptionally healthy or nutrient dense. It is the feeling of “fullness”—something researchers call satiety that provides a filling benefit. Avocados help you feel full so that you eat less food.
5. High Amounts of Healthy Fats
Avocados are one of the purest, safest foods you can eat. Despite the reputation they sometimes receive because of high fat levels, researchers consistently indicate that avocados are an important, health-boosting food that you should eat multiple times each week[5].
They are an excellent addition to any meal. Don’t be afraid of their fat content. It’s monosaturated fat, a fat that is one of the “healthy” varieties. As the research we linked indicated, high levels of monosaturated fat in avocados help your body absorb nutrients better.