Posted: 00:05, 22 July 2022 | Updated: 00:15, 22 July 2022
If you need an excuse to enjoy avocado on toast, science has come up trumps. Millennials’ favorite fruit is great for your heart, researchers concluded today. Eating more potassium, abundant in avocados as well as bananas, can prevent a heart attack or stroke, according to their study. Although only women seem to reap its benefits, which is achieved by eating an extra 1 gram per day – about one avocado (975 mg each) – above the recommended daily amount. A similar amount is also found in three bananas or three cups of milk (375 mg each). Potassium helps the body excrete sodium in the urine, controlling fluid balance in the body. But Dutch experts, who revealed the benefits of the widely loved ‘avo-on-toast’, believe it can keep the heart healthy in other ways. If you need an excuse to enjoy avocado on toast, science has come up trumps. Millennials’ favorite fruit is great for your heart, researchers concluded today
HOW SHOULD A BALANCED DIET BE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Main meals of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole grain crackers, 2 thick slices of whole grain bread and a large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) by choosing lower-fat, lower-sugar options
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish each week, one of which should be fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men per day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
The study followed nearly 25,000 people for nearly 20 years.
Participants were aged between 40 and 79 when the project began, before the millennium.
All were asked about their lifestyle habits and their blood pressure was measured.
Urine samples were taken to allow the researchers to estimate how much sodium and potassium they consumed each day.
The compound is hidden in fresh everyday foods, making it difficult for people to give an accurate reflection of how much they are getting.
The volunteers were grouped by the amount of potassium they ate per day, from low to high.
The World Health Organization guidelines say adults should eat 3.5 grams a day.
Analysis in the European Heart Journal showed that women with the highest potassium intake had the lowest blood pressure levels.
Each daily one-gram increase in potassium was associated with a 2.4 mmHg drop in blood pressure.
Meanwhile, a separate analysis revealed that participants who consumed the most were 13% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared to people who consumed the least.
The findings took into account factors that may have confounded the results, such as smoking status, alcohol consumption and underlying health conditions.
Professor Liffert Vogt, a medical specialist at the University Medical Centers of Amsterdam, said: “Our findings show that a heart-healthy diet goes beyond limiting salt to boosting potassium content.
“Food companies can help by swapping standard sodium-based salt for an alternative potassium salt in processed foods.
“Also, we should all prioritize fresh, unprocessed foods, as they are both high in potassium and low in salt.”
Tracy Parker, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This research supports current advice that reducing salt intake and eating more potassium-containing foods may be the recipe for a healthier heart.
“An easy way to increase your potassium intake is to eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
“Other foods such as legumes, fish, nuts, seeds and milk are also high in potassium and low in salt, so they can help your heart.
“However, staying healthy isn’t just about watching what’s on your plate.
“Limiting your alcohol intake and staying physically active will also help lower your blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart attack or stroke.”
