In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Is Avocado Oil?Is Avocado Oil Good for You?Health Benefits of Avocado OilHow Does Avocado Oil Compare to Olive Oil?The Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Is Avocado Oil?
Is Avocado Oil Good for You?
Health Benefits of Avocado Oil
How Does Avocado Oil Compare to Olive Oil?
The Bottom Line
Avocado oil has gained in popularity and is more commonly used today than it was even a few years ago. You can find avocado oil and avocado oil dressings at most large grocery stores.
But what’s in avocado oil, how does it compare to pantry-favoriteolive oiland does it deliver any health benefits worth touting? Let’s find out.
4 Healthy Reasons to Eat Avocados
Avocado oil comes from the actual fruit that we eat (yes, avocado is technically a fruit). It’s mostly extracted from the green pulp and some from the seed. There isn’t a set definition for avocado oil, nor are there guidelines on how it must be made to be called “avocado oil.”
That said, there seem to be two main versions of avocado oil: refined and virgin. Refined avocado oil is the most neutral and can get very hot—it has a high smoke point at about 500°F. Virgin avocado oil is more akin to extra-virgin olive oil in that it has a lower smoke point—in the low- to mid-300s—and a more robust (avocado-y) flavor.
Yes, avocado oil is a healthy oil. This isn’t surprising, considering all thehealth benefits of avocados.
About 70% of the fat in avocado oil is monounsaturated, according to a 2019 review inMolecules. Foods that are rich in monounsaturated fat are generally healthier than saturated fat-rich foods. TheAmerican Heart Associationrecommends that most of your fats come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. According to the National Library of Medicine’s resourceMedlinePlus, monounsaturated fats help to lower LDL cholesterol—the waxy substance that clogs arteries. Monounsaturated fats also help in the development of new cells and keeping them healthy.
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This isn’t to say that avocado oil is better than olive oil.Olive oil can also toutits own benefits, many of which are similar to avocado oil.
While we need more studies on avocado oil that have used humans—most studies have been done using rats—both human and animal studies show some promising health benefits of avocado oil.
Improve Heart Health and Reduce Cholesterol:A few studies have found that animals fed avocado oil can improve their cholesterol and blood pressure. What’s even more promising, though, are the findings of a small study of humans, included in the 2019Moleculesreview. After just 6 days of substituting avocado oil for their usual butter, overweight adults improved their total cholesterol and “bad” LDL levels, in addition to some other valuable health measures.
Improve your Skin and Wound Healing:According to a 2018 review in theInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences, avocado oil moisturizes dry or chapped skin. It’s also been shown—in animals, at least—to promote wound healing, quell inflammation during wound healing and even boost the synthesis of collagen—the protein that helps keep skin looking young and wrinkle-free.
Memory and Development Booster:In a 2019 study of pregnant rats published inFrontiers in Neuroscience, those who were fed avocado oil or pulp—the green avocado flesh—birthed babies who developed faster after birth. As these babies developed into adolescence and adulthood, they hadbetter memorythan their counterparts whose mothers didn’t eat avocado oil or avocado. It’s too soon to say if these effects will happen in humans too, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.
Here’s what you get in a 1-tablespoon serving of avocado oil, per theUSDA:
Here’s what’s in a 1-tablespoon serving of olive oil, per theUSDA:
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