They’re not only good: they’re good for you. Avocados are delicious, and they’re loaded in nutrients, fiber and healthy fats. A new study shows that that’s a winning combination for preventing diabetes in women.
Previous research has shown that eating avocados is good for your heart (J Am Heart Assoc. 2022;11:e024014). New research shows that it’s good for preventing diabetes too: at least for women.
This large new study included over 25,640 adults. Some ate avocados; some didn’t. The women who did averaged about 29.8g of avocado a day. That is less than a quarter of an average size avocado.
Avocado eaters had a significant 27% lower risk of diabetes than those who didn’t eat avocados. When laboratory measures, like fasting glucose or HbA1c were used, the risk was 29% lower. Strangely, the benefit was found in women but not men.
Why women and not men? It’s not clear. One possibility is confounding lifestyle factors. For example, smoking increases the risk of diabetes, and the researchers noted that more men in the study (38%) smoked than women (12%).
If you need one more reason to eat avocados, this study suggests that, at least for women, they help prevent diabetes.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2024;doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2024.04.012.