Avocados May Help Improve Insulin Resistance
The Claim
Avocados have been shown to fight the onset of type 2 diabetes thanks to a unique molecule.
Emerging story
Avocados have become significantly more popular in the US and across the world in recent years. A range of research has discovered health benefits that are linked to avocados. However, there is still more to be discovered, and some early studies have implied rather than proved avocado health benefits.
Some have recently been stating that a fat molecule in avocados helps to prevent the onset of diabetes.
Misbar’s Analysis
Claims that avocados may actively fight type two diabetes are drawn from a 2019 study that appeared in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. This journal is peer reviewed.
The study tested the effects of avocatin B (AvoB,) which is found in avocados. The test was conducted by giving mice high fat diets for eight weeks and then feeding them AvoB orally twice weekly for five weeks. The results found that AvoB improved the glucose tolerance, glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity in the mice. The study also analyzed the effects of AvoB on in vitro cells and muscle fibers, which improved insulin responsiveness and insulin secretion.
Lastly, the study conducted “a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in healthy human participants,” to assess if AvoB was safe for human consumption at different dose levels. This clinical study concluded that AvoB does not result in toxicity.
These results do suggest that Avob found in avocados is good for insulin. However, respected diabetes and health sources have stated that AvoB may reduce or could prevent the onset of type two diabetes.
It’s clear that avocados are not unhealthy and that there is some evidence that they can prevent type two diabetes. But it’s also true that further studies need to be conducted upon people who are at a higher risk of developing type two diabetes to test if the effects of AvoB are significant in these individuals. People should not consume avocados and assume that this will automatically prevent the onset of diabetes. Instead, the evidence shows that avocados could help prevent the development of type two diabetes. But other prevention measures, such as a healthy diet, should also be undertaken, and avocados cannot be considered a magic bullet in preventing type two diabetes.
