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Avocados have been trendy for years now. Ever since avocado toast became a Millennial social media phenomenon in the 2010s, the fleshy fruit has been a health food darling, to the point where any fast casual chain will toss a few bright green slices on your grain bowl for an extra charge.
The bumpy little guys are worthy of the hype: They’re packed with vitamins, fiber and monounsaturated fats that lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and boost "good" HDL cholesterol. And with all the love out there, it’s not surprising that avocados — in the form of their oil — have expanded out of the produce section into packaged goods like potato chips, salad dressing and mayonnaise.
But there’s not enough research to show that avocado oil is healthier than less expensive alternatives like olive oil and seed oils, as NPR’s Maria Godoy reports. What’s more, many products that claim to be made with 100% avocado oil are actually adulterated with other oils, according to a new study.
Food scientists at the University of California, Davis purchased 54 products that listed avocado oil as the only oil used and submitted them to chemical analysis. The vast majority — 89% — showed signs of being adulterated with other cheaper oils, such as soybean oil. (You can view the full list of products tested here.) For comparison, the researchers also tested 20 different packaged foods made with olive oil — and only one showed signs of adulteration.
The surge of interest in avocado oil comes at a time when seed oils like canola, soybean and safflower are maligned by wellness influencers and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Sarah Berry, a professor of nutrition at King's College London says the unfair claims about seed oils have given avocado oil a “health halo” effect. While avocado oil is a healthy choice, "we have decades of data showing that extra-virgin olive oil is healthy. We have decades of data showing that most seed oils are healthy, whether it's canola oil, sunflower seed oil or soybean oil," Berry says.
Read the full story.
Also: Are beef tallow fries healthier? These nutritionists say don't kid yourself
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Liam James Doyle for KFF Health News |
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When Gladys Lynch, a retired department store accountant, was living in the memory care unit at Harbor Crossing in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, another resident would frequently enter her room. This woman would harass Lynch, yell at her and go through her belongings, says Lynch’s daugher, Rebecca Norton. When she complained, the facility said staff would start locking her mother’s door. But one day, the woman was still able to enter Lynch’s room and shoved Lynch, who fell and hit her head on the floor. The incident was captured on web cameras Norton had installed in the room. The 96-year-old Lynch suffered a brain hemorrhage and died days later.
According to a Minnesota Department of Health report, aides at Harbor Crossing had expressed concerns about the woman who pushed Lynch. That individual had severe dementia with agitation and was frequently confused, had invaded other residents’ space and hit aides.
It’s not known how often altercations between patents take place nationwide, but an in-depth study of 14 assisted living facilities in New York state led by Cornell University researchers estimated 1 in 7 residents experienced aggression within a month, including verbal, physical or sexual acts.
According to the CDC, more than 40% of residents in nursing homes and assisted living centers have dementia. And while many people with dementia aren’t violent or aggressive, the diseases that cause dementia can impair brain circuits involved in impulse control and threat perception, raising the risk of aggressive behavior. As cognition clouds, people lose the ability to understand what is happening around them and to put distress into words, researchers say.
Experts and advocates say long-term care homes could be doing more to reduce the risk of altercations. Camille Russell, who served as the long-term care ombudsman in Kansas, said she observed nurses and aides were often "woefully undertrained" in basic elements of dementia care.
"We've gotten too far away from making decisions that are caring decisions. There has to be a balance, and the balance has gotten too far to the profit side." Russell says.
Read Jordan Rau’s in-depth report on patient violence in dementia care.
Plus: Real estate investors are buying up long-term care facilities. Residents can suffer |
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