The heart and liver are organs in the body that play crucial roles in human survival. The heart never stops working to pump blood throughout the body. If the heart stops working, it can be certain that the person has passed away. Similarly, the liver functions to neutralize toxins that enter our body. If the liver is disturbed or damaged, it's like allowing toxins to freely enter the body.

According to data from sehatnegeriku.kemkes.go.id, the prevalence of patients diagnosed with heart disease increases every year, with an annual increase of around 2 percent. This means that out of every 1,000 people, approximately 15 people have heart disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 85 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by heart attacks. The highest prevalence of heart disease is no longer dominated by the elderly but is now a trend among people under 40 years old. This is closely related to unhealthy lifestyles such as consuming imbalanced nutrition, lack of physical activity, and stress due to high work pressure. The same goes for liver disease, which can be caused by metabolic disorders and the consumption of high-fat foods and/or alcohol. One of the liver's functions is to neutralize toxins that enter the body. The liver can become damaged if there is excessive consumption of high-fat foods, leading to fatty liver disease. When fatty liver occurs, the liver cannot perform its functions properly.

From the above explanation, it's important to take care of our heart and liver health. There are many things we can do to ensure that these vital organs remain healthy and function optimally. This includes regular exercise and adopting a healthy lifestyle by consuming balanced nutrition.

From a nutritional aspect, one source of food that supports heart and liver health is avocado, the green fruit that is available almost year-round through various vendors.

Avocado is an excellent source of potassium, which is crucial for heart health. Although avocado contains fats, these are the healthy fats that can balance bad fats in the body, which can otherwise lead to fatty liver disease. It's a good idea to incorporate avocado into our daily diet. In one avocado, you can find vitamins C, K, E, B6, folic acid, potassium, and iron.

In the list of food composition, we can see that avocado contains energy: 85 Calories, Protein: 0.9 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Carbohydrates: 7.7 g. Therefore, avocado is a source of energy, and its consumption should be moderated, even though it offers numerous health benefits. It's essential to consume avocado wisely to maximize its benefits. For instance, making avocado juice with excessive sugar or sweeteners is not recommended. Consuming avocado as pure as possible, without adding other ingredients, is often suggested to avoid undesired effects.

Author: Sri Hasanah, SP, RD

Reference: 

Kemkes.go.id , Penyakit JantungPenyebab Utama Kematian, Kemenkes Perkuat Layanan Primer, https://sehatnegeriku.kemkes.go.id, 29 september 2022

Daftar Komposisi Bahan Makanan DKBM, 2017