Metabolic syndrome is an increasingly threatening heath condition. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed in the presence of any 3 of the following 5 symptoms: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose. Though not written much about as a health food, the avocado may be custom made for metabolic syndrome. . . .
A new systematic review has put together the research on avocado’s effects on the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Start with elevated blood glucose. The review includes a study in which half an avocado a day improved insulin in overweight people. A second study of overweight people showed that avocado prevents the rises in blood sugar after eating.
When it comes to cholesterol and triglycerides, avocado helped here too. One study found that avocado improves total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. In a second study, in which some people had high cholesterol and some had normal cholesterol, just one week of eating avocados lowered total cholesterol, the harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing the heart friendly HDL cholesterol. A third study found that 8 weeks of eating avocados improves triglycerides.
As for obesity, an avocado a day has been shown to significantly decrease body mass index, weight and body fat percentage in just 6 weeks.
Important support for this review comes from a large 7 year study that found not only that eating avocado improves abdominal obesity and HDL cholesterol, but also specifically that it leads to a 50% reduction in risk of metabolic syndrome.
Phytother Res 2017;[epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1002/ptr.5805
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