Is avocado oil healthy for you?

What we do know is that avocado is high in vitamin E and unsaturated fats and contains more protein than any other fruit and more potassium than a banana!

But where does the oil come from?

Avocado oil is extracted from the flesh of the avocado and has a number if scientifically-proven health benefits that could mean that everyone will soon be turning to including it in their diets over other oils.

 

Health benefits of avocado oil

Increased Nutrient Absorption

We need to be able to sufficiently absorb nutrients for our bodies to utilize them correctly, but sometimes our bodies struggle to do this naturally. One of the best benefits of avocado oil is that it enhances the absorption of carotenoids.

 

What are carotenoids?

Well, carotenoids are the organic pigments found in plants, namely dark leafy plants such as vegetables.

A study found that adding avocado oil to salads and salsa improved the absorption, mainly attributed primarily to the lipids present in avocado.

 

Assists with Regulating Blood Pressure

The potassium and lutein content in avocado oil has been shown to positively alter the levels of fatty acids in kidneys, resulting in changes in the way the kidneys respond to hormones that regulate blood pressure. 

Lower blood pressure means that your kidneys stay healthy and your body is better able to detoxify itself of harmful and toxic compounds.

 

Lowers Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Almost 70% of avocado oil consists of heart-healthy oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, but it’s not only down to the oleic acid content that is proving that avocado oil is “heart healthy”. 

A study found that its results suggested that avocado oil and its antioxidant content place it as a potential oil to be used as one of the preventive factors of metabolic syndrome since it reduces LDL levels significantly, without affecting HDL levels. Furthermore, the results indicated that avocado oil exerts effects are similar to olive oil.

A lowering in “bad” cholesterol is always good for our cardiovascular health and means that there’s more HDL, or ”good” cholesterol in our bodies, allowing us to function at our optimum.

 

It can be used to help with Psoriasis  

Natural oils have always been seen to be a solution to people with skin irritations such as psoriasis and a recent clinical trial discovered that a vitamin B 12 cream containing avocado oil has considerable potential as a well-tolerated, long-term topical therapy of psoriasis due to positive results throughout the study.

 

Aids in preventing periodontal disease

A combination of avocado oil and soya bean extract was used to treat periodontal disease and due to increased amounts of interleukin the hypothesis drawn from the study suggested that the same could exert a preventive action on the deleterious effects exerted by IL-1beta in periodontal diseases.

 

Precautions

Possible skin irritation: As with any topical ointment or cream, one should always rub a small bit on an area of unaffected skin beforehand and leave it there for a few hours to see if the area becomes irritated. 

Allergic reactions can occur: The same goes for oils, especially when you add them to food. Although rare, allergic reactions can happen for a number of reasons and it would be prudent to sample a small amount first and see if there is any reaction.

Conclusions

To conclude, avocado oil has indeed been scientifically proven to have positive health benefits for your nutrition, skin and even as far-reaching as gum disease. As with everything, moderation is key but if you want to substitute the regular oils that you use for avocado oils to reap the benefits then go ahead and try it out!