Avocado Consumption And Health

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a tropical tree native from south-central Mexico, showing nowadays an increasing commercial interest worldwide for its unique sensorial characteristics, high nutritional quality, and its medicinal uses. The global market is ruled by the exportation of the fresh fruit; but, the presence of avocado products (mainly avocado oil) is gaining interest and currently involves close to 20%, both for human and industrial (mainly cosmetic) purposes. The fruits are mostly consumed raw as guacamole, a dip traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados with salt or added as an ingredient in salads. Avocado fruit is rich in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (mostly oleic acid) and fiber. Moreover, the fruit is rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, potassium, and sitosterol. Their health properties are mostly related to the high amount of antioxidant compounds present. Thus, it is used as an auxiliary agent in the reduction of cholesterol and triglyceride levels and weight management. In the food industry, the use of avocado oil as a preservative has been explored for its high antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this book covers a wide variety of topics related to avocado fruit and avocado by-products, including their therapeutic and nutraceutical potential, their bioactive compounds, and oxidative stability. Also, new research about the characterization of avocado and avocado-based products, its conservation, and potential use as a food industrial antioxidant and antimicrobial is included as well. Finally, an interesting update of patents on avocado products related to health is also reviewed.

Avocados contain a variety of nutrients and photochemical that have individually been related to cardiovascular benefits. Avocados consist of ∼10% MUFAs. The American Heart Association guidelines strongly encourage substituting MUFAs in place of SFAs and trans fatty acids for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A meta-analysis of controlled trials found an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decrease in other serum lipid markers for CVD when MUFAs isoenergetically replaced carbohydrates in the diet. There was an overall risk reduction in all-cause mortality (11%), cardiovascular mortality (12%), cardiovascular events (9%), and stroke (17%) with higher MUFA intake than with lower MUFA intake in another meta-analysis of cohort studies. Consistent with these findings, an analysis of data on adults from the NHANES 2001-2006 found that avocado consumers had higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations levels, a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, and lower BMI and waist circumference than did nonconsumers .Avocados contain fiber, potassium, and magnesium, all of which are associated with cardiovascular health. Avocado carbohydrates consist of ∼80% dietary fiber, which is composed of 30% soluble and 70% insoluble fiber. A current meta-analysis found that greater dietary fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of CVD. One medium avocado fruit contains ∼9 g fiber, which would be a substantial contribution to the Adequate Intake of 14 g/100 kcal. Clinical studies suggest that potassium may promote blood pressure control. Another recent meta-analysis found that higher potassium intake was associated with a reduction in blood pressure in patients who were not taking antihypertensive medication. Similarly, usual dietary intake of magnesium is associated with a decreased risk of CVD, including fatal ischemic heart disease. One avocado contains ∼690 mg K and 39 mg Mg.Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors that have the potential to be favorably altered by avocado consumption include hyperlipidemia, inflammation, blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin concentrations, metabolic syndrome, and body-weight and -fat composition. One previous systematic review examined the effect of avocado consumption on blood lipid concentrations, but, to our knowledge, there has not been an in-depth, critical, and comparative analysis of the contemporary literature reporting on all biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk. Given the evidence that individual nutrients found in avocados are related to a decreased risk of CVD, the purpose of this systematic review was to critically appraise and summarize the data related to avocado consumption on incident CVD and biomarkers of CVD risk.

Eat your way to better health with this New York Times bestseller on food's ability to help the body heal itself from cancer, dementia, and dozens of other avoidable diseases. Forget everything you think you know about your body and food, and discover the new science of how the body heals itself. Learn how to identify the strategies and dosages for using food to transform your resilience and health in Eat to Beat Disease. We have radically underestimated our body's power to transform and restore our health. Pioneering physician scientist, Dr. William Li, empowers readers by showing them the evidence behind over 200 health-boosting foods that can starve cancer, reduce your risk of dementia, and beat dozens of avoidable diseases. Eat to Beat Disease isn't about what foods to avoid, but rather is a life-changing guide to the hundreds of healing foods to add to your meals that support the body's defense systems, including: Plums Cinnamon Jasmine tea Red wine and beer Black Beans San Marzano tomatoes Olive oil Pacific oysters Cheeses like Jarlsberg, Camembert and cheddar Sourdough bread The book's plan shows you how to integrate the foods you already love into any diet or health plan to activate your body's health defense systems-Angiogenesis, Regeneration, Microbiome, DNA Protection, and Immunity-to fight cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases, and other debilitating conditions. Both informative and practical, Eat to Beat Disease explains the science of healing and prevention, the strategies for using food to actively transform health, and points the science of wellbeing and disease prevention in an exhilarating new direction.

The Health Benefits of Avocado - For Cooking and Health Table of Contents Introduction Section 1: Avocado Chapter 1: What is Avocado? Chapter 2: History of Avocado Chapter 3: How to Choose the Right Avocado Chapter 4: Nutritional Breakdown of Avocados Section 2: Health Benefits of Avocados Chapter 5: Protection against diseases Chapter 6: Avocados for Weight Loss Chapter 7: Avocados for Skin and Hair: Section 3: Including Avocado In daily diet Chapter 8: Recipes for Avocado Section 4: Fun Facts about Avocado Section 5: Conclusion Introduction Health Benefits of Avocado The Pear Shaped Fruit You might have heard the name “Avocado” a thousand times and wonder what it is. Well for starters, avocado is a fruit that is pear shaped in appearance. If you’re into fruits and veggies and believe in natural ways of living an ailment free life, then this book is all you need. Even if you don’t like fruits, you should still know about this one. Being a nutritionist, I would crown this fruit as the “king of all fruits” because of its nutritional value and health benefits. The interesting thing is that all these benefits come with no side effects, which are quite frequent with the advertised pills and supplements. In our daily life we give value to things that are ready to eat or things that we can eat on the go. No wonder diseases like heart attack, high blood pressure, arthritis and obesity are so common in western lifestyle. Yes, I called obesity a disease. To you obesity might only mean having socially unacceptable outlook, but medicine people would tell you that obesity is the harbinger of countless diseases. The cure and control of all these things comes with one single fruit. Yes, you guessed it right. It’s avocado that promises you not only a healthy outlook but also a healthy inside too. Above all, the taste of this fruit is something that would surely tickle your taste buds. This book has been divided into four sections. The first section will inform you about avocado and tell you what it is, its history and its nutritional value. The second section of the book is about the health benefits of avocado. Different diseases that can be cured with the help of avocado have also been mentioned. The role of avocado in weight loss and nourishing of skin and hair has also been discussed. The third section lists some golden tips related to this fruit. The final section is left for conclusion.

This book is comprised of 15 chapters covering principles and basic understanding in avocado science, technology, best management practices and postharvest aspects. It is aimed at avocado researchers, libraries, teachers and academics, students, advisers, cutting edge growers and industry support personnel. Topics discussed include the history, distribution, uses, taxonomy, botany, genetics, breeding, ecology, reproductive biology, ecophysiology, cultivars and rootstocks, propagation, biotechnology, irrigation and mineral nutrition, crop management, foliar, fruit and soil-borne diseases, insect and mite pests and harvesting, packing, postharvest technology, transport and processing.

Reveals for the first time how nutrient-rich foods can provide all the health promoting nutrients your body needs for vibrant health and energy. Includes recipes.

The tenth anniversary edition of an essential text on food politics: “Well researched and lucidly written . . . This book is sure to spark discussion” (Publishers Weekly). When John Robbins first released The Food Revolution in 1987, his insights into America’s harmful eating habits gave us a powerful wake-up call. Since then, Robbins has continued to shine a spotlight on the most important issues in food politics, such as our dependence on animal products, provoking awareness and promoting change. Robbins’s arguments for a plant-based diet are compelling and backed by over twenty years of work in the field of sustainable agriculture and conscious eating. This timely new edition will enlighten those curious about plant-based diets and fortify the mindsets of the already converted.

The third volume in the AOCS PRESS MONOGRAPH SERIES ON OILSEEDS is a unique blend of information focusing on edible oils. These oils contain either unique flavor components that have lead to their being considered "gourmet oils," or contain unique health-promoting chemical components. Each chapter covers processing, edible and non-edible applications, lipids, health benefits, and more related to each type of oil. Includes color illustrations of over 20 health-promoting specialty oils Comprehensive resource for the chemical and physical properties and extraction and processing methods of these specialty oils Describes and and includes the health effects of over 50 different oils from plants, algae, fish, and milk