This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Avocado Every Day

This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Avocado Every Day. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Avocado photo – Pixabay (PD)

Avocados are not just photogenic, they have amazing health benefits that can help fight disease as well! Originating in south-central Mexico around 7000 to 5000 BC, today’s various studies on the fruit focus primarily on how avocados can protect your heart and blood sugar levels, among various health-related benefits.

1. Blood pressure

In spite of old myths – now debunked – about avocados being high in fat and therefore “bad for the heart”, the fruit actually has cardioprotective properties. In terms of nutritional value, the fat content of avocado is highly bioavailable, meaning it is easily stored and broken down by the body compared to fat from processed food. Studies have found out that avocado – especially extracts from it – is able to fight against hypertension by slowing the heart rate (bradycardia) and relaxing the blood vessels (vasodilation). Marquez-Ramirez, C., et. al. in 2018 studied how avocados could manage hypertension and even mediate hypertensive kidney damage. The researchers discovered that avocados were able to mimic the effect of losartan (an anti-hypertensive drug) on blood pressure, being able to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 21.2% and 15.5% respectively. For people suffering from hypertension, a drop in blood pressure by 10 to 20 points can mean a big difference in their health status. [1][2] [3]

2. Cholesterol

In 2018, Tan, et. al. conducted a study on virgin avocado oil and how it can help with high cholesterol caused by an unhealthy diet (“diet-induced hypercholesterolemia”). The study involved rats who were fed with a high cholesterol diet over the course of four weeks after which they were given both avocado oil and simvastatin, the latter of which is a drug prescribed to help lower cholesterol, over another four weeks. The study concluded that avocados were able to recover metabolic dysfunction in the subjects by improving lipid, amino acid, and gut microbiota metabolism, and that avocados were able to work hand-in-hand with commonly prescribed medications for hypercholesterolemia. [4]

Another study was published a few years earlier in 2015 and focused again on avocados and the body’s metabolism, specifically the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) found in avocados. Wang, et. al. studied the effects of a moderate fat diet with and without avocados on body’s cholesterol levels (specifically LDL or low-density lipoproteins, a.k.a. “bad cholesterol”). With 45 overweight or obese study participants with LDL levels in the 25th to 90th percentile included in the study, the researchers found that adding one avocado a day to a moderate-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet had significant LDL lowering effects without affecting HDL levels (a.k.a. “good cholesterol). High LDLs and low-HDLs significantly predisposes a person to atherosclerotic heart disease, which is characterized by plaque build-up in the arteries and can lead to a heart attack or stroke. [5]

3. Diabetes

Another study also found that avocados have anti-diabetic properties as well, able to improve glucose uptake by the liver and muscles, decreasing the risk for metabolic problems that damage the nerves and blood vessels. [6]

In 2017, a study was published by Mahadeva Rao and focused on the ethanol extract from avocados and their effects on hyperglycemic albino rats. He found that avocados were able to significantly reduce blood sugar levels and improve levels of plasma insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). These three factors rank high on the list of predisposing factors for developing diabetes. HbA1c levels show how your body metabolizes glucose over an average of two to three months by looking at how much of your hemoglobin is basically “coated” in glucose. A person who is unable to metabolize glucose well will have high blood glucose and HbA1c levels. [7]

Another component of avocados, oleic acid, was the focus of a 2017 study by Ortiz-Avila, et. al. and how it was able to “induce long-term alleviation of oxidative damage” in kidneys of diabetic rats. The researchers built on the concept that diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage due to diabetes) was caused by two precipitating factors: hyperglycemia or high blood glucose and oxidative stress. The study was conducted over one year and the researchers were able to conclude that supplementation with avocado oil was able to significantly cause hypoglycemia (lowering of blood glucose) and long-term antioxidation. [8]

4. Cancer

Avocados are loaded with antioxidants, which help reduce the amount of free radicals in the body that cause oxidative stress and DNA damage (and potentially cancer!). Flores-Alvarez and a group of researchers were able to conclude that plant defensins or antimicrobial peptides found specifically in avocados were able to cause apoptosis is cell death among chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. The same results were seen in an earlier study in 2016, wherein plant defensins in avocados caused cell death in a human breast cancer cell line. In fact, other studies have reported that avocados can also work adjunct with chemotherapy by preventing drug resistance in breast and ovarian cancer cells. While eating an avocado will not suddenly cure cancer, these studies are starting off points on what other forms of management we can research and use to help battle the disease. [9] [10] [11]

5. Skin health

Avocados are great for your skin because of the same reason they are good for your heart: they are rich in highly bioavailable fatty acids that can contribute to better skin moisture and elasticity. While more studies still need to be conducted on avocados and how they can benefit our skin, oleic acid, which is abundant in the fruit, is being eyed for having potential in skin repair, improving skin health, and overall lending a hand to healthy aging. [12]

6. Arthritis

If you suffer from aching joints or arthritis, try to include avocados in your diet. The Arthritis Foundation encourages adding avocados to your daily meals because of their potent anti-inflammatory abilities, which can help reduce inflammation in the joints and improve overall mobility. The anti-inflammatory properties of avocados can be attributed to, you guessed it right, its monounsaturated fatty acids! The vitamin E content of avocados also helps with anti-inflammation. Another factor to consider in the management of arthritis is the ability to avocados to help with weight loss (because it lowers LDLs and improves fat metabolism), which puts less pressure and pain on the joints caused by weight gain. [13]

7. Pregnancy

If you are pregnant (or planning to get pregnant!), you can consider avocados as a healthy fruit to add to your current diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 400mcg of folic acid daily for pregnant women to prevent congenital neurological problems in the fetus. 100 grams of avocado contains roughly 80 mcg of folic acid, which is pretty good ratio if you want to get good folic acid value per gram of weight of avocado. [14] [15]

8. Constipation

Avocados are a good source of dietary fiber, especially if you suffer from constipation. Fruits that are high in dietary fiber help improve digestion by adding bulk to stool and making it easier to have regular bowel movements. The US Department of Agriculture lists dietary fiber content of 100 grams of avocados at 6.7 grams. An entire avocado typically has around 10 grams of dietary fiber. [16]

9. Bone health

This is not a popularly known fact but avocados are great for bone health and keep osteoporosis at bay. The Save Institute encourages eating avocados because they are rich in the following nutrients that improve bone health: vitamin K, vitamin D, vitamin C, boron, copper, and folate. These nutrients all interact with each other to help keep bones strong. Vitamin K and D in particular work synergistically to promote osteoclast (bone cell) production, which helps fend of osteoporosis! [17]

10. Weight loss

When you add all of the health benefits of avocados, you will find that it is a great diet food if you want to lose weight. The fruit’s great bioavailability makes it easier to metabolize glucose and energy from avocados, on top of significant anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and cardioprotective properties, which can all contribute to significant weight loss. Despite being high in fat, it is the good kind of fat or monounsaturated fatty acids, which are easier to process by the body and not build up as excess weight.