What are the health benefits of avocados for the body?
No wonder it’s popular! Not only is it delicious, its health benefits are endless. A series of health benefits of avocado are reviewed in full here.
Avocados are the only fruit that provides the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA ) which are good for health.
Apart from being delicious and can be prepared in various ways, the benefits of avocados are hard to deny because they are rich in nutrients. There are at least 20 vitamins and minerals contained in avocado. Therefore, this fruit is considered a superfood.
The following are a multitude of benefits and properties of avocado that are good for your body.
1. Rich in Nutrients
Based on data from the Nutrient Database of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 40 grams of avocado contains at least:
- 64 calories
- 6 grams of fat
- 3.4 grams of carbohydrates
- Less than 1 gram of sugar
- 3 grams of fiber
One of the benefits of avocado is that it is a good source of vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.
The B vitamins contained in avocados are thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and niacin (B3). All three can help the body convert the food consumed into energy.
Niacin is also able to fight inflammation in the body and protect arteries, by reducing levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ and triglycerides.
2. Delicious and Easy to Combine into Diet Menus
Not only is it nutritious, it tastes delicious and is easy to combine with various other foods. These are some of the benefits of avocados.
You can add avocado to a salad, combine it with yogurt, or fruit ice, or eat it straight. Its creamy texture makes it easy to mix with other food ingredients.
3. Good for eye health
Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin. Its function is to minimize eye damage, especially from ultraviolet rays. The monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados also support the absorption of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene.
By consuming it regularly, you can get the benefits of avocado to reduce the risk of vision problems caused by aging factors.
4. Maintains heart health
Avocados contain beta-sitosterol, a type of sterol group found in various plants. If you look at its chemical structure, beta-sitosterol is similar to cholesterol. Even though the structure is similar, the function is opposite.
Because of the beta-sitosterol content, the benefits of avocado can help you maintain ‘healthy cholesterol’ levels.
5. Provides a longer full effect
Even though most of the calories in avocado come from fat, the fat content is ‘healthy fat’ which is good for your body. This fat is what makes the benefits of avocado can provide a longer satiety effect.
This property of avocado will be useful for those of you who are on a diet or want to maintain an ideal body weight.
6. Prevent Osteoporosis
For those who don’t really like milk, you can get calcium, vitamin D, and even vitamin K from avocado. These three nutrients are very important for maintaining bone density so as to prevent osteoporosis.
7. Can be used for body detoxification
Avocados contain substances that have antimicrobial activity, especially Escherichia coli, a bacteria that often causes food poisoning.
The benefits of avocados which are high in fiber can increase bowel movements so that toxins can be eliminated every day, through bile and feces. By increasing your consumption of fiber in avocados, you can control your immune system and inflammation.
8. Contains More Potassium Than Bananas
Your body needs potassium to function normally and well. One of the functions of potassium is to keep your heart rhythm regular.
Well, the high potassium content is one of the benefits of avocados. In 100 grams of avocado flesh, there is around 278 mg of potassium.
9. Improves Brain Health
Avocados contain vitamin E which can help protect you from Alzheimer’s disease, a slowdown in the ability to think and remember.
The benefits of avocado are obtained from the antioxidant content contained in vitamin E. Antioxidants can fight cell damage that occurs due to exposure to pollution and solar radiation.
10. Prevent and Maximize Cancer Treatment
Not only healthy fats, avocados can also be a good source of folate. Therefore, the benefits of avocados are able to protect the body from colon cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and cervical cancer.
In various studies, it was found that folate can protect the body from unwanted DNA mutations. In fact, avocados can play a role in cancer treatment.
Phytochemicals taken from avocados can inhibit the growth of precancerous and cancer cells and at the same time also increase a person’s immune system.
11. Prevents Chronic Diseases
According to the Department of Internal Medicine and Nutritional Sciences Program of the University of Kentucky, United States, high fiber intake can reduce various chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes.
So, those are the health benefits of avocados that can be enjoyed by various age groups, from children, and adults, to the elderly. Enjoy eating delicious avocados, rich in nutrition, and good for the heart and brain!
12. Maintain the health of pregnant women and their fetuses
Apart from being rich in folate, avocados are also rich in fiber, which is needed for women who are pregnant. The benefits of avocado for pregnant women can overcome digestive problems, such as constipation and hemorrhoids due to hormonal changes that commonly occur during pregnancy.
13. Reduces the risk of depression
Foods high in folate, for example avocado, can reduce the risk of depression. This is because folate can prevent the buildup of homocysteine, a substance that can interfere with the circulation and transportation of nutrients to the brain.
A person with excess homocysteine in the body can experience impaired production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine which regulate mood, sleep, and appetite.