Avocado. The ally to your gut microbiome health

Studies aimed to analyze the impact of avocado consumption on the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites show us now that daily consumption of avocado can contribute to the improvement of gut health and its microbiome.

Overweight and obese but healthy adults were included in the study and were divided into two groups. One group replaced a meal of the day with a meal that included avocado and the other control group with a meal without avocado, all meals provided by the researchers. The diet of the groups didn’t have to change in any other way but only with the consumption or not of an avocado daily. For the analysis of the study, the participants had to provide blood, stool, and urine samples for all 12 weeks of the duration of the study.

The scientific findings given to us by this research showed a significant beneficial effect of avocado on the human intestinal microflora. It was initially found that incorporating avocado into a meal of our daily diet can increase the abundance of gut microbes that break down fiber and produce beneficial and gut health-supporting metabolites. Accompanying the daily intake of avocados appeared to increase short-chain fatty acids and decrease bile acids, changes that are known to support overall well-being and health. Additionally, participants who received avocado-containing meals showed greater diversity in their gut microbiome than participants who did not consume avocado.

In the present study, it was also observed that the excretion of fat was slightly greater in the feces of those who consumed avocados daily than in the non-drinking group, even though they consumed slightly more calories than the control group. Greater fat excretion indicates less energy absorption from the food the study subjects consumed. The answer to this comes from the fact of reducing bile acids. Examination of the stools of the participants in the avocado consumption group showed a decrease in the percentage of bile acids combined with an increase in the percentage of fat. Bile acids are molecules that arise as secretion products of our digestive system and work to absorb fat.

As reported by scientists specialized in shaping the microbiome through nutrition, avocado is a food source of nutrients (such as potassium and fiber) and is characterized as a rich and energy-dense food. Now to these benefits comes to be added the contribution to the health and well-being of the gut microbiome.

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Reference

Sharon V Thompson et al, Avocado Consumption Alters Gastrointestinal Bacteria Abundance and Microbial Metabolite Concentrations among Adults with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial, The Journal of Nutrition (2020). DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa219