Avocados shown to block cancer cell growth and protect your heart

(NaturalHealth365)  An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but research shows the creamy avocado can hold its own when it comes to keeping you healthy.  Studies have found that the avocado’s generous supply of fatty acids, carotenoids, and other helpful nutrients is useful in preventing cancer and heart disease.

But that’s not all the avocado has to offer.  Once known primarily as the main ingredient in guacamole, the fruit is growing in popularity for its usefulness in fighting metabolic syndrome and obesity and supporting healthy joints, skin, and vision.

Eat food that makes your body ‘unfriendly’ toward cancer

The secret to the cancer-fighting capabilities of avocados can be found primarily in the carotenoids and monounsaturated fat they contain.  Studies have documented a significantly lowered risk of several types of cancer, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Avocados also contain the antioxidant glutathione, which protects cells from cancer and other dangerous consequences of free radicals.  Because of the many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds present in avocados, it can be difficult to pinpoint which has the greatest impact on reducing the risk and spread of cancer.

However, there is a wealth of scientific research on prostate, oral, and skin cancers, with results showing that the compounds found in avocados help prevent cancer from metastasizing, bringing about cancer cell death instead.  In one study, avocatin B, a type of fat present in avocados, was shown to combat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare but deadly form of cancer.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Ontario, Canada; and the Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.  Published in the journal Cancer Research, the findings revealed that avocatin B targets leukemia stem cells that are responsible for causing most cases of AML recurrence.  Research continues on the many cancer-fighting properties of avocadoes.

A delicious way to keep your heart healthy

In addition to reducing the risk of cancer, the health advantages of consuming avocados include a healthier heart.  Avocados contain the plant sterol beta-sitosterol, which is known to support healthy cholesterol levels.

Research has shown that the intake of avocado may enhance the plaque-fighting properties of HDL cholesterol, which helps protect heart health and avoid atherosclerosis.  Avocados also contain significant levels of potassium.  Potassium helps control hypertension by relaxing blood vessels and arteries, reducing the chances of heart attacks, strokes, and clogged arteries.

Avocados are also loaded with monounsaturated fatty acids, which not only reduce the risk of cancer but also have been shown in numerous investigations to lower cholesterol levels.  In one such study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers in Queensland, Australia, compared the cholesterol-lowering benefits of an avocado-enriched diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids against the benefits of a diet rich in complex carbohydrates.

Fifteen female subjects between 37 and 58 years old took part in the study.  Both diets were shown to lower total cholesterol, but the impact was significantly more pronounced with the avocado diet (an 8.2 percent decrease compared to a 4.9 percent decrease.)  The women also experienced a significant drop in their LDL cholesterol levels while on the avocado diet but not while following the complex carbohydrate diet.

Simple ways to add avocados to your diet

Although avocados are well known as the main ingredient in guacamole, there are many other ways they can be incorporated into your meals so you can reap their many health benefits.  For example, add avocado to your next smoothie for a delicious (creamy) taste, add slices to a salad, or make pudding.

The avocado’s nutrient makeup allows for optimal absorption of carotenoids not only in the avocado itself but in other foods consumed simultaneously.  Research demonstrates that the avocado’s unique nutrient profile promotes joint, eye, and skin health and helps prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity – so get started today!

Remember that the carotenoids and other beneficial components are most plentiful in the dark-green part of the fruit’s flesh, closest to the skin.  That means to obtain the greatest benefits, you need to carefully peel the fruit in such a way that you retain the fleshy portion nearest the skin.

Sources for the article include:

NIH.gov
Lifeextension.com
NIH.gov
NIH.gov

The post Avocados shown to block cancer cell growth and protect your heart appeared first on NaturalHealth365.

Visit Natural Health 365 Here /

Source: https://www.naturalhealth365.com/avocados-shown-to-block-cancer-cell-growth-and-protect-your-heart.html