Consejos para mejorar el sueño y cuidar el corazón con aguacates

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   In this secondary analysis of the largest randomized controlled trial on avocados conducted to date, researchers found that adults who consumed an avocado a day for six months had better sleep quality compared to those who ate less than two avocados per month.

   Given that getting enough sleep is considered to help reduce the risk factors for heart disease, these results add to a growing body of evidence supporting avocados as a heart-healthy food and mark the first time avocado consumption has been associated with sleep.

   The American Heart Association (AHA) recognizes healthy sleep duration as one of the eight health factors that, when optimized, can promote ideal cardiovascular health.

   «Sleep is becoming a key lifestyle factor for heart health, and this study prompts us to consider how nutrition – and foods like avocados – can play a role in its improvement,» says Dr. Kristina Petersen, lead author of the study and associate professor of nutrition sciences at Pennsylvania State University.

   «Many factors influence cardiovascular health, and while no single food is a silver bullet, some – like avocados – offer a range of nutrients that support multiple aspects of heart health — she continues–. This is an encouraging step in expanding the science around avocados and the potential benefits of their consumption.»

   In this study, supported by the Avocado Nutrition Center, 969 American adults of diverse races and ethnicities with a high waist circumference, a cardiovascular risk factor affecting nearly 60% of American adults, were randomly assigned to consume an avocado a day or a minimal avocado intake (less than two avocados per month) while continuing their usual diet for six months.

   Cardiovascular health was assessed using the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8TM, a framework used by both healthcare professionals and individuals to better understand and reduce risk factors. This tool identifies diet quality, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood glucose as key behaviors and factors that, when improved, can lead to better health outcomes.

   Daily avocado intake was associated with improved diet quality (measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015), blood lipids (modest reductions in LDL-C and total cholesterol levels) and sleep health (self-reported increase in sleep duration). No significant effects were found for the other components of Life’s Essential 8.

   While the study was not originally designed to examine sleep as a primary outcome, the results provide an interesting direction for future research with more rigorous methodology and tools to better understand the potential of how avocado nutrients can support aspects of cardiovascular health. The study design has several strengths, but the results are inconclusive and cannot be generalized to all populations.

   Avocados contain the following nutrients per serving (1/3 of a medium avocado) that may play a role in sleep: tryptophan, a melatonin precursor that plays a role in sleep regulation; folate, involved in melatonin production, and magnesium, involved in muscle contraction and relaxation. Additionally, the combination of fiber and monounsaturated fats in avocados contributes to their beneficial impact on cardiovascular health.

   Furthermore, they contain fiber, one-third of which is soluble, preventing the digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease, and monounsaturated fat, which can help lower LDL cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

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