Avocados (Persea americana) are rich in dietary fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids, nutrients that have been independently connected to metabolic health benefits and the gastrointestinal microbiota.
“We know eating avocados helps you feel full and reduces blood cholesterol concentration, but we did not know how it influences the gut microbes, and the metabolites the microbes produce,” said lead author Sharon Thompson, a graduate student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
“The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of avocado consumption on the gastrointestinal microbiota,” said senior author Dr. Hannah Holscher, a researcher in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Read more…
