If you’re trying to watch your blood sugar, chances are you’re mindful of your fruit intake. It seems counterintuitive to steer clear of whole, nutrient-rich foods like mangoes and citrus, but some fruits just aren’t the best for those with blood sugar concerns.
However, you may be happy to know that one popular fruit out there may actually benefit blood sugar, according to new research.
We’re talking about avocados—and yes, they are technically a fruit even though they don’t taste like candy.
The new research on this creamy fruit was published in the Journal of Nutrition, stating that avocado intake was strongly linked to lower fasting blood sugar, lower fasting insulin, and reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers analyzed data from 6,224 older adults, taking particular interest in how many avocados a person consumed as well as their fasting blood sugar and insulin levels.
They also looked at avocado-specific metabolites in the blood—which indicate that someone had eaten an avocado. This metric varies from person to person depending on how they metabolize avocados. And it showed that for some people, avocados may be beneficial for blood sugar balance—but not necessarily for everyone. Whether or not avocados lower someone’s fasting blood sugar seems to depend on how they personally metabolize the fruit.