By Marianne Stein, University of Illinois — MedicalXPress — 16 December 2020
Eating avocado as part of your daily diet can help improve gut health, a new University of Illinois study shows. People who ate avocado every day as part of a meal had a greater abundance of gut microbes that break down fibre and produce metabolites that support gut health, plus greater microbial diversity. The study of 163 adults over 12 weeks found that avocado consumption reduced bile acids and increased short-chain fatty acids, which correlate with beneficial health outcomes. A medium avocado provides around 12 grams of fibre, helping toward the recommended 28–34 grams per day. Less than 5% of Americans eat enough fibre. Published in the Journal of Nutrition.