AlkalizeForHealth
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."
- Thomas Edison |
Dear Reader,
Over several centuries it's been called by many names: ahuacate,
avocaat, agovago, albecatta and alligator pear. In 1519, Spanish
explorer and cartographer Martin Fernandez De Encisco offered
this description of the fruit with an alligator hide: "That
which it contains is like butter and is of marvelous flavor, so
good and pleasing to the palate that it is a marvelous thing."
He might have added that it's also a very healthy addition to
warm-weather salads - especially if you happen to be exploring
the tropics hundreds of years before the first air conditioner.
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The A list
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For many years we've heard speculation about why the
Mediterranean diet tends to support heart health and prevent
cancer. It could be the olive oil; it could be the abundance of
fresh, uncontaminated fruits and vegetables; it could be the
wine; it could be a combination of all those things.
Or it could be the avocado, a truly nutrient-dense food with an
impressive list of nourishing contents:
- Magnesium
- Folate
- Potassium
- Vitamins B, E and K
- Glutathione
- Lutein
- Monounsaturated fats
- Omega-3 fatty acids
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Adding some oomph
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In 2004, researchers at Iowa State University and Ohio State
University conducted a study to find out if the avocado is more
than just the sum of its parts. The Ohio team set out to
determine if avocado consumption improves the absorption of
lycopene, lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.
The study was divided into two parts, and each part had two
phases. In the first part, a group of six males and five females
ate 300 grams of tomato salsa. About half of the group was given
salsa that contained 150 grams of avocado (about five
tablespoons), and the others ate salsa without avocado. After a
washout period, the test was repeated with the subjects crossing
over; those who ate avocado salsa in the first phase were served
plain salsa, and vice versa. This first part of the study was
designed to determine lycopene absorption.
The second part of the study was designed to determine lutein
and carotene absorption. In this part, the subjects ate a salad
of carrots, spinach and lettuce. For half the group, salads also
contained the 150 grams of avocado. As in the first part, the
groups crossed over after a washout period. During both parts of
the study, the only fat source was avocado.
Blood was drawn from each subject several times after each meal
to determine changes in nutrient levels for up to nine and a
half hours after the meals. As in the earlier study, blood was
analyzed using HPLC.
The results:
- Subjects who ate avocado with salsa absorbed nearly
4.5 times more lycopene than those who didn't eat avocado
- Subjects who ate avocado with salad absorbed 8.3
times more alpha-carotene and 13.6 times more beta-carotene
than those who didn't eat avocado
- More than four times as much lutein was absorbed by
subjects who ate avocado with salad compared to those who
ate only salad
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It's all good
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In e-Alerts and HSI Members Alerts we've highlighted the health
benefits associated with the nutrients examined in the Ohio
State study.
Lutein has been shown to support good vision and helps prevent
age related macular degeneration. Good sources of lutein include
spinach, eggs, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, lettuce and
celery.
Many fruits and vegetables are abundant in the two carotenoids,
which play a role in the prevention of cancer, heart disease and
high blood pressure. And lycopene (found mostly in tomatoes and
watermelon) is a powerful antioxidant that promotes heart health
and has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
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Sources:
"Avocado Increases the Bioavailability of Carotenoids from Test
Meals in Humans" Presented at the 2004 Institute of Food
Technologies Annual Meeting, July 12-16, Las Vegas, NV,
ift.confex.com
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