Avocados are a trending food and often seen smashed on toast. Did you know that by enjoying this fruit you are not only keeping your Instagram followers happy but your gut and heart too? Avocados are full of health benefits and two of these are promoting a healthy gut microbiome and optimal cholesterol levels.
Avocados are full of fibre with a medium avocado containing around 12g of fibre. A healthy amount to add towards your recommended fibre intake of 25-30g a day. Avocados also supply a good dose of heart healthy monounsaturated fat. This type of fat promotes the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and reduces your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
Avocados do more than assist optimal cholesterol levels with research finding that avocados increase the diversity of the good bacteria or probiotics in your gut. Each probiotic influences your health in a different way so variety over one single strain is key. The good news for your gut health and cholesterol levels do not end there. Avocados increase the number of short chain fatty acids or signals produced by your good bacteria. These short chain fatty acids create different health benefits on your body.
The power of avocados in promoting a healthy weight is not only due to the fibre content but the impact on your bile acids. A study found that bile acids were seen to be reduced when avocado was included in the diet. This means that although avocados are higher in energy due to the fat content, some of this is excreted due to the reduction in bile acids which allow your body to absorb fat to be used as energy by your body.
Take home message: An avocado does not only look good in photos but also on your insides.
Reference:
Sharon V Thompson, Melisa A Bailey, Andrew M Taylor, Jennifer L Kaczmarek, Annemarie R Mysonhimer, Caitlyn G Edwards, Ginger E Reeser, Nicholas A Burd, Naiman A Khan, Hannah D Holscher, Avocado Consumption Alters Gastrointestinal Bacteria Abundance and Microbial Metabolite Concentrations among Adults with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial, The Journal of Nutrition, , nxaa219, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa219
