Avocados have been so mainstream and on demand nowadays that they are even being stolen and sold on Facebook in New Zealand! And nearly every breakfast menu always has avocados in it. How crazy is that?
Well that’s because more and more individuals have embraced the importance of healthy eating and avocados are super fruits with a number of amazing health benefits. This incredible super-fruit is packed with healthy fats and essential vitamins and minerals that are great for the body.
They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but new research shows that an avocado a day can improve cognitive health among aging adults.
The study was tested among a set of healthy adults, ages 50 and over, who consumed one avocado a day vs one group who consumed one potato or a cup of chickpeas. They were assessed at zero, three and six months.
After the trial, a significant increase in lutein levels and an improvement in working memory and problem-solving skills were observed among adults who consumed avocadoes while none for the other group who had potatoes and chickpeas.
Lutein may be popularly known as the “eye vitamin” which is an antioxidant that protects eye health but it also helps in improving the brain function.
An article from Nutri-Facts talks about a research conducted among healthy elder women, where after they were given supplementations of lutein, their memory scores and rate of learning significantly improved.
Now all these information just made this green super fruit even more “super,” if that makes sense. In case you aren’t convinced with how amazing avocadoes are yet, here are more of its health benefits:
- An avocado is a great source of fiber, which can aid in weight loss and reduce blood sugar shoot-ups.
- Eating avocadoes can lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduces your risk for heart diseases.
- Avocado extract can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.
- Avocado extract helps reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis.
- Again, avocados can help you lose weight because it is super filling, while being low in carbs and full of GOOD fats.
