BLOG
MARKET INTEL by PharmaCompass
CONTENT by Suppliers
- Interview #SpeakPharma
- Video #SupplierSpotlight
- Vlog #PharmaReel
- Company Bio #AboutSupplier
- Services Bio #AboutCapabilities
News
Create content with us, ask us
By PharmaCompass
2015-03-04
Impressions: 4032
That thick skinned, lumpy, ugly looking fruit that most people either love or love to hate, the humble avocado, has long been treated with respect by medical practitioners and consumers alike looking for a healthy option that is both enjoyable and may have curative effects.
The avocado (Persea americana) or alligator pear is grown in tropical and Mediterranean type climates. As its botanical name implies, this native of the Americas is cultivated for its value to consumers around the globe who delight in the creamy flesh and subtle flavors.
A recent study conducted in the United States, partly funded by the Hass Avocado Board, has suggested that, following its research into the benefits of eating avocado’s, the consumption of the fruit may reduce dangerous levels of cholesterol in humans.
The study, conducted over a five week period, first involved a trial in which 45 overweight or obese people were divided into three groups. Group one, was given a diet that contained less fat (than normal), in which 24 % of calories came from fats, but they were not given avocado. A second group were given a diet in which 34% of calories came from fat, but no avocado. The third group were also given a diet which included 134 grams of avocado per day.
The otherwise, relatively healthy individuals, carried on with their normal lives whilst following their diet. Blood tests conducted established that all three diets resulted in reductions in LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein), the unhealthy accumulations that block arteries, and that there was a greater reduction in the case of those eating avocado daily and that triglyceride levels also were lower when the diet included avocado.
So fact or fiction? There is no evidence to suggest that those people have lost any weight due to their diet, also those people may have lost weight simply by following the reduced fat diet. The statistical evidence is lightweight. “In this study, the uncertainty was small enough that researchers were confident that their results were real. But just because results are real, doesn’t mean that they’re meaningful,” Says Canadian physician Dr Christopher Labos, “While the result of the study was statistically significant, it was not clinically significant. A 0.14-point change in cholesterol will not make you any healthier. Both the avocado and non-avocado eaters decreased their 10-year cardiovascular risk by 0.15 per cent, a number so ridiculously small that it might as well have been zero. Importantly, there was no difference between the groups. Therefore avocados don’t really lower your heart-attack risk.”
In conclusion, the avocado is a fruit packed with nutrients, potassium for one – each avocado has more than a similar weight banana – and is thoroughly beneficial to the consumer, not least because of the enjoyment gained from eating one. Eating a balanced diet, in which an avocado may be part, reducing sugar and salt intake and taking exercise, is the key to better health (as we all know and don’t do…). And if you buy too many of them, you can always use your avocado as a face mask (recipe here)!
The PharmaCompass Newsletter – Sign Up, Stay Ahead
Feedback, help us to improve. Click here
Image Credit : Avocado facial by SuperFantastic is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“ The article is based on the information available in public and which the author believes to be true. The author is not disseminating any information, which the author believes or knows, is confidential or in conflict with the privacy of any person. The views expressed or information supplied through this article is mere opinion and observation of the author. The author does not intend to defame, insult or, cause loss or damage to anyone, in any manner, through this article.”
