According to a University of Illinois study, people who consume avocados on the daily have higher number of gut microbes which help dissolve fiber and better the gut health.
And, the people who consumed avocados during the study experienced better microbial diversity than the ones who consumed them less often.
Avocados are healthy fruits rich in dietary fiber and monounsaturated fat; but, it wasn’t entirely clear how they influence the gut microbes. So, the research sought to find out.
Avocados on a Daily Basis for a Healthy Gut
Avocados are known to help us feel full and lower our blood cholesterol concentration; however, the scientists explain they weren’t aware of how they affected the gut microbes and the metabolites which the microbes produce.
The research team led by Sharon Thompson, graduate student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the Illinois University concluded that the people who consumed this fruit daily had higher gut microbe presence and better microbial diversity in comparison to the individuals who didn’t get avocados daily.
Thompson explains that microbial metabolites are compounds which influence our health and are produced by the microbes.
Those who ate avocados frequently had lower bile acids and higher short chain fatty acids.
And, these changes correlated with positive health effects. For the purposes of the study, there were 163 adults between the ages of 25 and 45, either overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy.
Namely, the participants got one meal per day instead of breakfast, lunch or dinner.
One group ate an avocado with all of their meals whereas the others consumed similar meal, but the avocado wasn’t given to them.
The study lasted for 12 weeks and during this period; the participants gave urine, fecal, and blood samples.
They were also asked for info like how much of the meals they were given was consumed and recorded everything they ate every four weeks. These participants weren’t given instructions on restricting or changing their diet.
Rather, the goal was to keep on eating what they did before and to only replace one of their meals with the meals the researchers provided.
They were testing the hypothesis that fat and fiber from avocado is good for the gut. They found that although the avocado group ate a bit more calories than the control group, they excreted more fat in their stools than the control group.
This means that they were absorbing less energy from the foods they ate. This was probably a result of the reductions in bile acids.
Overall, the scientists agreed that avocados are an awesome fruit rich in nutrients we need to stay healthy. And, their study added gut health to the list of benefits!
Sources: