TITLE:
Avocado and Cardiovascular Health
AUTHORS:
Camila Weschenfelder, Júlia Lorenzon dos Santos, Priscilla Azambuja Lopes de Souza, Viviane Paiva de Campos, Aline Marcadenti
KEYWORDS:
Persea, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Dyslipidemias, Nutritional Status, Blood Pressure
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.5 No.7,
July
29,
2015
ABSTRACT: Avocado is a fruit which
had a caloric density of 1.7 kcal per gram and a half unit (~70 g) is composed
by 114 kcal, 4.6 g of fibers, 345 mg of potassium, 19.5 mg of magnesium, 1.3 mg
of vitamin E and 57 mg of phytosterols. Approximately 75% of fiber’s avocado
contents are considered insoluble and 25% are soluble. The avocado contains
lipids that consist of 71% from monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 13% from
polyunsaturated (PUFA) and 16% from saturated fatty acids (SFA). Recent
researches have shown that avocado may improve hypercholesterolemia and may be
useful in the treatment of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
This way, avocado plays an important role in the cardiovascular health. This
review summarizes the potential benefits of avocado consumption in the
prevention of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic diseases.