Bananas, avocados good for your heart
Bananas and avocados are beneficial for health in more ways than one. Researchers have found that eating a banana and an avocado a day may prevent hardening of the arteries that result in heart disease and death. A study, conducted on mice, showed that these fruits are rich in potassium, which reduces vascular calcification—a common complication in both heart and kidney diseases.
“The findings demonstrate the benefit of adequate potassium supplementation on prevention of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis-prone mice, and the adverse effect of low potassium intake,” said Paul Sanders, professor at the University of Alabama.
For the study, published in the journal JCI Insight, the team analysed mice that were at a risk of heart disease. These mice were given diets with either low, normal or high levels of potassium. The results revealed that the arteries of mice that were fed a low-potassium diet became significantly harder, while those who were fed a high potassium diet had substantially less artery hardening and reduced stiffness in their aorta— the body’s main artery.
Low-potassium levels in the blood might have prevented the release of genes that maintain artery flexibility. The results also provide new targets for potential therapies to prevent or treat atherosclerotic vascular calcification and arterial stiffness.