Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Adding avocado to a hamburger patty showed a 24% benefit over a measure of blood vessel health over a control group and prevented a substance from forming an inflammatory compound.
Eleven healthy subjects consumed either a 250-gram hamburger patty by itself (consisting of 436 calories and 25 grams of fat) or the patty with a 68-gram slice of Hass avocado which provided an additional 114 calories and 11 grams of fat (1). The researchers noted hamburger consumption by itself decreased blood vessel relaxation by 28.2% 2 hours after ingestion (2.19 to 1.56% relaxation, p = 0.0007) compared to a 4.2% decrease in patty combined with the avocado which was not statistcially significant (2.17 vs 2.08%, p = 0.68).
When the researchers looked at a protein called Ikappa-beta alpha, they noted that avocado consumption preserved the integrity of the Ikappa-beta alpha protein compared to hamburger consumption alone (p = 0.03). This integrity preservation is important because when the structure of Ikapp-beta alpha is changed by a process called phosphorylation, a protein called nuclear-factor kappa beta forms and inflammation in the body increases. This increase in nuclear-factora kappa beta can damage blood vessels and increase risk for chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer (2).
For the researchers, “These observations are suggestive of beneficial anti-inflammatory and vascular health effects of ingesting added Hass avocado with a hamburger patty.”
Source: Li, Zhaoping, et al. “Hass avocado modulates postprandial vascular reactivity and postprandial inflammatory responses to a hamburger meal in healthy volunteers.” Food & function 4.3 (2013): 384-391.
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013
Posted September 23, 2014.
References:
- Li Z. Hass avocado modulates postprandial vascular reactivity and postprandial inflammatory responses to a hamburger meal in healthy volunteers. Food Funct 2013 Feb 26;4(3):384-91. doi: 10.1039/c2fo30226h
- Rial NS. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB): a novel cause for diabetes, coronary artery disease and cancer initiation and promotion?
- . Med Hypotheses 2012 Jan;78(1):29-32. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.09.034. Epub 2011 Oct 19
