To this day there are still misconceptions in society that avocados are not good for health. In fact, various studies show that the avocado fruit was not worthy "enemy."Besides delicious taste, avocados contain many substances that are beneficial for health. If you include people who had been "hostile" avocado, it's time to "repent".
History of avocado
Avocado is a fruit native Central and South America and has been cultivated in the area since 8000 BC. In the mid-17th century, the avocado was introduced to Jamaica and spread to the Asian tropics to the mid-1800s. Avocados are now grown in most tropical and subtropical countries, including almost all over the archipelago.
Promotes heart and cardiovascular health
Avocados contain lots of fat, so in Latin America and even used as a substitute for butter. About 15 percent of the avocado meat is fat. However, avocado is a type of fat is healthy, ie unsaturated fatty acids that help lower cholesterol. In a study on people is high cholesterol, those who consumed a diet high in avocados showed clear health improvements. After a seven-day diet that included avocados, they had a significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol), along with an increase of 11% of HDL (good cholesterol).
In addition to unsaturated fatty acids, avocado is also a good source for potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Potassium in avocados is higher than in medium-sized banana. Adequate intake of potassium may help protect against vascular disease, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
Other important nutrients in avocados are beneficial to heart health is folic acid. A cup of avocado meet 23% of the daily requirement for folate. To determine the relationship between folate intake and heart disease, studies have been conducted on more than 80,000 women for 14 years using dietary questionnaires. The researchers found that women who have diets high in folate have a 55% lower risk of heart attack or fatal heart disease.
Inhibits cancer
Avocados contain carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene) plus significant amounts of tocopherols (vitamin E). In a laboratory study by UCLA, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, carotenoids and tocopherols in avocado inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells. Another study showed that oleic acid in avocados also offer significant protection against breast cancer.
Improving liver
The results of Japanese studies in rats have shown beneficial to health avocado liver (liver). Researchers at the University of Shizuoka give rat hearts damaged by the toxin galactosamine with 22 different fruits. They are specifically measure the distribution of enzymes in the liver. As a result, avocado most effective in reducing liver damage. The researchers suspect that certain nutrients avocado has a healing effect on the liver, especially if the damage caused by viruses, such as hepatitis.The extent to which research results can be transferred to humans, scientists can not say. It is also not clear how much avocado extract needed and what the effects of chemicals involved. Further study is still needed.
Avocado is also a good source of vitamins A, C, E, K, vitamin B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and copper. Now, with a myriad of benefits contained in the avocado, unfortunately not to miss this fruit in your menu?
Tips for you
Avocados are almost always harvested before ripe. At room temperature, ripe avocados quickly. Ripe avocado can be described by slightly pressing the skin, which feels soft. You should avoid deep-skinned avocados or gaping cracks because the meat is often already too ripe and may rot. Ripe avocado in the refrigerator remain fresh for two days to a week. It is best to store the fruit in the whole (not sliced) to avoid browning that occurs when meat exposed to air. You can prevent the natural darkening of the avocado flesh with memercikan little lemon juice or vinegar.Eat avocado along with other vegetables or fruits rich in vitamins. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition (March 2005) showed that oleic acid in avocados support the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Adding avocado to salad increased absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein respectively 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times higher.
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