Avocados: A real nutrition booster

A study at Ohio State University, where men and women consumed salad and salsa with and without avocado, found significant results.

Findings published in the latest Journal of Nutrition indicate that avocados act as a nutrient booster, allowing the body to absorb more heart-healthy nutrients like alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene found in fruits and vegetables.

Those who ate meals with 75g of avocado absorbed 8 times more alpha-carotene and 13 times more beta-carotene, both of which may promote heart health. The subjects also absorbed 4 times more lutein, which contributes to eye health.

Researchers concluded that the monounsaturated fat in avocados boosted the participants’ ability to absorb the beneficial nutrients which are otherwise poorly absorbed.

Source: Journal of Nutrition, March 2005