Avocado is an important tropical fruit native to Central America and Mexico(because it is pear-shaped, with green, uneven skin, like a crocodile). According to archaeology, evidence that avocados began to be eaten by humans more than 7,000 years ago, and has been cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions to this days.
Do you know avocado benefits and side effects?
Unlike other fruits, avocado has a very low sugar content, only about 0.2 grams of sugar per half.
In addition, avocado has extremely high nutritional value, rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, lutein, phenolic antioxidants, and dietary fiber, and a high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (60.28% oleic acid, similar to the initial Squeezed olive oil), known as a superfood, has a rich taste and mouthfeel and is often added to various dishes or sold as avocado oil.
Different types of avocados are grown around the world, with different shapes and colors, from pear-shaped to round, green to black, and the Hass and Fuerte varieties are most commonly eaten.
Table of Contents
- What are the benefits of avocado?
- Are there any side effects from eating avocado?
- Safety Precautions
What are the benefits of avocado?
1. Improve cardiovascular disease risk factors: blood lipids
Cardiovascular diseases include diseases that affect the heart and systemic blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, angina, and stroke.
Common symptoms of cardiovascular disease include long-term compression or burning pain in the center of the chest, pain from the chest to the neck, arms, shoulders, or chin, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, chills, sweating, and weak pulse.
A literature review and meta-analysis (including 18 studies with a total of 481 participants) pointed out that ingesting avocado can improve the concentration of HDL-cholesterol.
There is no significant improvement in other parameters, such as serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), the ratio of TC to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the ratio of LDL to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and body weight.
*Conclusion: Avocado can only improve high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and is limited to a small number of samples. It needs to be further verified by a more accurate and long-term large-scale test.
2. Improve macular pigment density and benefit cognitive function
The macula is the central part of the retina and is responsible for fine detail vision. Interestingly, this particular part accumulates a large amount of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso zeaxanthin, which is collectively called macular pigment.
In the retina, these pigments act as an intraocular light screening program. They can absorb short-wavelength “blue” light before reaching the macula and damage the photoreceptor responsible for central vision, and protect the central nervous system from oxidation and inflammation. pressure.
A randomized controlled trial (6 months, for 40 healthy adults over 60 years old) pointed out that avocado intake had better serum lutein and macular pigment than a chickpea control group. The effect of density increase and the increase of macular pigment is related to the improvement of working memory and the efficiency of dealing with problems.
*Conclusion: Ingesting avocado may help improve macular pigment and have better cognitive performance.
3. Improve satiety and benefit weight control
Solving obesity problems requires dietary strategies to reduce energy intake, and satiety is an important factor in inhibiting overeating.
Identifying dietary patterns and foods that promote satiety without significantly increasing overall energy intake is important for promoting healthier eating behaviors.
A randomized 3×3 single-blind crossover design study (for 26 healthy but overweight adults) pointed out that adding about half avocado to a meal will increase satiety after eating within 3 to 5 hours And reduce the desire to eat between meals.
Compared with not eating avocado, meals added with avocado can reduce the increase in blood insulin levels 30 minutes after a meal, and reduce insulin levels 3 hours after a meal.
*Conclusion: Meals with avocado can increase satiety and reduce the desire to snack between meals, which may have a beneficial effect on weight control.
4. Improve osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease, and more than 25% of people over the age of 18 have this disease.
Pathological changes include gradual loss and destruction of articular cartilage, thickening of subchondral bone, bone spur formation, synovial inflammation, ligament/meniscus degeneration, and joint capsule hypertrophy.
There are many factors that cause osteoarthritis, including joint damage, obesity, aging, and genetics.
Meta-analyses (including 4 randomized controlled studies, participants 664 patients with osteoarthritis) pointed out that oral avocado-soybean unsaponifiable (ASU) helps reduce pain, Pain Index (Lequesne’Index) score, and increase the number of people who respond to treatment.
*Avocado soybean extract unsaponifiable is a substance extracted from avocado and soybean oil.
*Conclusion: Oral avocado soybean extract unsaponifiable have a positive effect on improving osteoarthritis, but it is limited by heterogeneity and needs more empirical confirmation
5. Improve atrophic sclerotic moss
Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that usually affects the skin around the vulva and anus. It is characterized by white ivory plaques or plaques with shiny surfaces that can cause intractable itching, soreness, Symptoms such as constipation and difficulties with sexual intercourse.
Women are more likely to be affected than men, with a ratio of 10:1, especially during the menopause, but young women or girls may also be affected. The average age of diagnosis is 7.6 and 60 years, while the average age of men is 9-11 years old.
A prospective queuing, open-label non-comparative study (24-week, 23 patients with mild to moderate vulvar sclerosus) pointed out that the use of avocado and soybean extract unsaponifiable ointment and oral preparations can help improve symptoms And signs may be an alternative to local topical corticosteroids.
The underlying mechanism may be related to the anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, emollient, and moisturizing effects of unsaponifiable extracted from avocado and soybean.
*Conclusion: Avocado soybean extract unsaponifiable have a positive effect on the improvement of vulvar atrophic sclerotic moss, but due to factors such as the lack of a small sample and a control group, more large-scale trials are still needed to confirm.
Are there any side effects from eating avocado?
It is safe to eat avocado in moderation. If it is a health preparation (such as avocado-soybean unsaponifiable), there is currently insufficient information to prove the safety of long-term use.
Safety Precautions
Those who have been allergic to pollen, nuts, or latex, please be careful. Eating avocado may also cause allergies. It will cause itching, skin rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and other food sensitization symptoms within 1 hour after consumption.
Because avocado is rich in fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) such as oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, it may cause symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome, such as abdominal pain, for some people with sensitive constitutions, 月loating, and diarrhea.
Avocado contains a small amount of Tyramine, if allergic to this substance may induce a migraine.
Because avocado is rich in vitamin K1, if you take the anticoagulant drug Warfarin (a vitamin K antagonist), please pay special attention to the total intake of vitamin K in food. If excessive, it may reduce the effectiveness of the drug and cause blood clotting problems.