Avocado and Blood Sugar Control

There have been some interesting findings regarding the consumption of avocados and blood sugar control.

It is well-established that both fiber and monounsaturated fats are helpful in improving insulin sensitivity and preventing blood sugar spikes, and avocados are a good source of both. So, part of the benefits of avocados in controlling blood sugar are likely due simply to the fiber and healthy fats they contain.

But there’s an additional fat found in avocados, called avocatin B, which may take the blood sugar benefits even further.

The studies so far are limited, but there’s evidence from animal studies that avocatin B makes the mitochondria, the “energy factories” of the cells, more efficient in utilizing fats for fuel.

When the mitochondria oxidize fats for fuel, there’s a certain amount of partially broken-down fat that is left as particles that circulate in the blood stream, and while these particles will eventually be used, their presence complicates the body’s ability to process the glucose and other nutrients also circulating in the bloodstream, making it harder to process and manage blood sugar.

Think in terms of a stream with different kinds of fish in it and there’s one particular kind of fish you want to net and remove from the water – analogous to glucose in the bloodstream. The more of the other kinds of fish – analogous to the fat particles – the trickier it is to identify and net the desired fish (glucose).

Avocatin B appears to significantly improve the mitochodria’s utilization of fat, thereby reducing the amount of fat particles in the blood, and allowing the body to more efficiently absorb and utilize blood sugar.

Even if avocatin B doesn’t work the same in humans as it does in lab animals, the abundance of fiber and monounsaturated fats in avocados makes them an excellent dietary choice for anyone, but especially those with insulin resistance and blood sugar control issues.

Until next time…

George Best, D.C.