Popular fruit may help lower diabetes risk for women — but not for men: study

Eating a small amount of avocado every day may lower a woman's risk for Type 2 diabetes — but not for men who consume the green, creamy fruit, new research has found.

"There are several potential mechanisms to explain the observed association between avocado consumption and diabetes prevalence in this study," the international team of authors wrote last week in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

"First, avocado has a lower glycemic index and sugar content, such as sucrose and glucose, than other fruits," they continued. "Its main sugar is … a unique seven-carbon sugar that may help control blood glucose."

The researchers pointed out that avocados also contain antioxidants and nutrients that can help improve insulin sensitivity, a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes.

Registered dietitian and doctor of public health Wendy Bazilian, who was not involved in the study, emphasized to Healthline last week that avocados are a heart-healthy food.

"Given what we know about the nutritional profile of avocados — they have good unsaturated fats, a good source of fiber, and a multitude of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, I'm not surprised to see these findings suggesting that eating avocados may play a role in lower diabetes risk," she said.

25,640 people who participated in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey were eligible for this study — over 60% were considered overweight or obese.

Some 45% of participants were avocado consumers, with men eating 34.7 grams a day and women 29.8 grams a day on average.

A standard avocado serving is one-third of a medium avocado or about 50 grams.

The lowered diabetes risk for women was observed even when accounting for factors such as age, education level, weight and physical activity.

As for why a similar association was not found with the male participants, the researchers reasoned that the study featured a higher percentage of male smokers (about 38%) compared to female smokers (about 12%).

"Smokers are more likely to develop diabetes because exposure to nicotine can reduce the effectiveness of insulin," they wrote, before noting that, "Men are more likely to engage in binge drinking than women. This behavior is associated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes."

The researchers suggest a "more in-depth exploration" of the long-term effects of avocado consumption to better understand how avocados, sex and risk for diabetes are related.