Avocado, uses & benefits

In this Article (Index)

• The Avocado
• Nutrients in avocado
• The Health Benefits of Avocado
• Heart Protecting Properties
• Helps lose weight
• Promotes cognitive function
• Improves gut microbiome
• Allergies
• Avocado as a Food

The Avocado

The avocado (Persea americana) is the fruit of an evergreen tree with height that can reach 30 to 60 feet (10-20 m) and live for 200 to 400 years. It is a memeber of the Lauraceae (laurel) family, and is native to the Americas.

The Natives in Central America domesticated it over 5,000 years ago and named it āuacatl, adapted to aguacate in Spanish. The English deformed the Spanish word into avogato, and added "pear" to it, due to its shape. This became the avocado pear.

The fruit of the tree has an outer skin, that is not edible, that can be rough and coarse, or thin and soft. It has a buttery, yellow-green fleshy interior, with a spherical stone.

There are many varieties of avocado, some can weigh 2 to 4 lb (1-2 kg), others small as a hen's egg. Pear shaped, some have a long neck others are shorter.

The Haas avocado is the most consumed variety in the world (80% share), and it makes up around 90% of the American market. It is a Mexican-Guatemalan hybrid, developed by chance by Rudolph Haas in California; he found it tasty and hardy, and patented it in 1935. Its success is due to its yield, shelf life and flavor.

Nutrients in Avocado

Avocados are not only creamy and tasty, they are rich in protein, fiber, healthy oils, plant-based compounds (phytochemicals), minerals, and vitamins.

• Fiber
• Fats and Oils
  
  • Omega composition
• Protein
• Phytosterols
• Minerals
• Vitamins
• Carotenoids
• Phenolic Compounds

We discuss them in detail in the following section.

Main components of Hass Avocado

Below is the Nutritional value of Hass avocado, values in grams (g). (2)

Fiber

One avocado contains roughly 12 g of carbohydrates of which 9 g are fiber and the remainder is the net-carbs content (sugar, starch).
Insoluble fibers make up about 70% (6.3 g) of the fiber content, and soluble fibers are the balance (30% - 2.7 g). (3)

Sugars content is very low in comparison to other fruits. These are mainly sucrose, fructose and glucose. It also contains a unique type of sugar called d-mannoheptulose that reduces into a compound called perseitol (4 g per fruit). However as it doesn't behave as a regular sugar it isn't counted as such in the nutritional table. Instead, it is a unique phytochemical that helps control blood sugar levels and contributes to weight management.

Prebiotic & gut microbiome booster

Fiber is associated to many benefits, and is a prebiotic, providing a suitable sustrate for the microbiome that lives in the large intestine or colon. These in turn have a modulating effect on the immune system. Avocados have a viscous fiber with prebiotic properties. We mention these gut microbiome benefits further down).

Lipids (Fats and oils)

Most of the fat in avocados are the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) mainly oleic and palmitoleic acids, similar to olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Avocado is low in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like linoleic acid and linolenic acid. It also contains saturated fats, mostly palmitic acid.

Avocado is often used as a spread instead of mayonnaise, butter or cream cheese, a low-salt, low-saturated fat and zero cholesterol healthy option.

The pulp also contains polar lipids (phospholipids and glycolipids) that represent roughly 5% of the total fat content in the pupl. The lipid content in avocados is higher than in other fruits. Most lipids found in avocados are polar lipids (glycolipids and phospholipids) (3),(4)

Avocados' oleic acid helps increase the uptake of phytochemicals like carotenoids from vegetables and low-fat foods. Adding avocados to salads or as a "salsa" boosts your absorption of these bioactive compounds.

Omega composition

A typical fat composition of an avoicado's omega fatty acids is the following:

• 1.1 % omega-3
• 16.6& omega-6
• 84.5% omega 9 (65% oleic and 6% palmitoleic)

Table with Fat Contents in Avocados

Fatty Acids in Hass avocados, in grams (g). (2)

Protein

Although avocados are well known for their fat content, they are also rich in protein, with the highest protein levels among fruits .(3)

Phytosterols

Sterols are a type of lipid (fat) that is found in most animals, plants, fungi and microbes. Plant sterols are called phytosterols, that reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. It lowers the "bad" LDL cholesterol without altering the "good" HDL levels; this reduces the risk of heart disease.

Avocado contains phytosterols such as β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. β-sitosterol strengthens the immune system and inhibits the production of carcinogenic chemicals and can relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. (3)

Avocado have almost 20 times more phytosterols than other fruits (60 mg vs 3 mg per serving). (3)

Minerals

Avocados contain several minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, and zinc (see table), but their potassium content is 60% higher than an equal serving of banana. It regulates blood pressure and helps maintain heart health.
Below is the table with the main minerals found in avocados. (3)

Vitamins

Avocados contain all major vitamins (Vitamin C, β-carotene, Vitamn E, retinol, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, and folic acid), except Vitamin B-12 (the usual dietary sources of Vitamin B12 are animal-derived foods).
The following table shows phytochemicals and vitamins found in avocados. (2)

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are natural yellow, orange and red plant pigments. They comprise biochemicals like α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin (that the body can convert into Vitamin A (retinol); and lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene.

They have antioxidant properties and carotenoid-rich diets have heart and cancer protective effects. They also protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation.

Lutein and zeaxanthin help maintain optimal visual function, and protect against macular degeneration, cataracts and cartilage deterioration.

Avocado contains more lutein than any other fruit and is its main carotenoid. The color of avocado flesh is due to the high content of lutein and zeaxanthin. (2),(3)

The high MUFA content in avocados enhances the absoption of these carotenes and of the ones found in salads (like tomatos's lycopene) when consumed together as in a salad. Adding 24 g of avocado to a 150 g salad increased the uptake of α and β-carotene, and lutein by 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times, respectively. (3)

Phenolic compounds

These are antioxidants and have protective effects on the brain and heart. The content in an avocado is 95 mg total phenolics (gallic acid equivalents). (2).
The phenolics in an avocado include different compounds like gallic acid, flavonoids, anthocyanidins and tocopherols. (3)

The Health Benefits of Avocado

Adding avocado to your diet has many benefic health effects according to a review of 19 clinical trials and 5 observational studies by Dreher, Cheng and Ford (2021): (2)

• It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Helps lose weight
• Promotes cognitive function
• Improves gut microbiome

Heart Protecting Properties

Eating avocado is linked to a lower risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).

A study that analyzed data from over 68,700 women from the Nurses' Health Study and 41,701 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; 1986-2016 found that after a 30 year followup, those who had a ate more avocadoes (more than 2 servings per week) "had a 16% lower risk of CVD and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease". However, the risk for stroke remained unchanged for both avocado consumers and non-consumers.
The authors noted that substituting half a serving per day of egg, yougurt, cheese, margarine, butter, processed meats with the equivalent quantity of avocado lowered the risk of CVD. (1)

The protective effect is due to the reduction of triglycerides, and LDL cholestrol levels and improving blood flow by promoting the health of the lining of the blood vessels. (2)

Helps lose weight

It helps lower the risk of being overweight, and reduces abdominal fat in overweight or obese women.
>> Learn more about the Dangers of Belly fat

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) study revealed that subjects that consumed Hass avocados had "lower body weight, BMI, and waist circumferences than non-avocado consumers, by 3 kg, 1 kg/m 2, and 3–4 cm, respectively... Also, Hass avocado consumers had a 33 % lower risk of becoming overweight or obese, a 32% lower risk of enlarged waist circumference, and a 50 % lower risk of metabolic syndrome than non-consumers." (2)

Using data from the Australian Health Survey’s National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) researchers predicted that "for each 50 g serving of avocado...avocado consumers would weigh six pounds less than non-consumers." (2)

Another study using data from 133,468 men and women followed up over a period of 24 years showed that consuming one daily serving of Hass avocados was associated to an average loss in body weight of roughly 1/2 lb (0.21 kg) over 4 years. Though it may seem modest, it protects against weight gain as most people put on weight as they age.

Promotes cognitive function

Avocado improves cognitive function in both old normal-weight and middle age overweight / obese adults, with a particular effect on the frontal cortex executive function ability as shown by cognitive tests that showed they can keep focused, maintain attention and are efficient in managing problematic situations.

This effect is probably due to the healthy fatty acid content that improves blood flow to the brain, and the delivery of oxygen to support the needs of neurons during cognitive processes. Oleic acid-rich foods like avocado improve the working of the brain in comparison to diets high in saturated fatty acids, or even low-fat diets.

Its effect on the gut microbiome (see further down) reduces inflammation and regulates insulin sensitivity optimizing the gut-brain axis. This improves how the frontal cortex works, increasing the processing speed, helping maintian focus, attention and working memory in middle-age adults.

Finally, some of the biologically active compounds found in avocado are activated by its fatty content, like lutein and zeaxanthin. This is far more effective than taking supplements. They are anti-inflammatory and antioxidants and can cross the blood-brain barrier. Studies have shown that lutein acts upon memory and inhibition functions in the prefrontal cortex region of the brain.

Improves Gut Microbiome

A randomized trial involving 51 healthy overweight or obese subjects split them into two groups, both with the same calorie deficit (-500 kcal) but one group was avocado-free while the other consumed 1 avocado per day. After 12 weeks both groups had lost the same amount of weight, but the avocado group had modified their gut microbiome, with an increase of Firmicutes and unchanged Bacteroidetes, shifting to a gut microbiome more adapted to consuming plant-based fiber and fat. There was also a higher variety of bacteria that, in comparison to the non-avocado group, lowered inflammation and " were significantly correlated with improved body weight and serum metabolic health biomarkers."
On the other hand, the non-avocado group showed the opposite effect, Firmicutes populations dropped while Bacteroidetes grew, shifting to be more adapted to animal protein and fat intake.

Allergies

Some people are allergic to avocado. There are two types of allergies, one is a tree-pollen allergy that causes symptoms in the mouth and throat. The other, more serious is called latex-fruit syndrome. Latex allergens cross-react with plant-derived food allergens provoking rash, abdominal pain, vomiting and, rarely anafilaxis.
It involves food like the avocado, and also bananas, papayas, kiwi, and chestnuts. They allergens are caused by a cross reaction between class I chitinases, proteins used by plants to defend themselves, and hevein, the major allergen in latex.

Avocado as a food

Avocados are not sweet or salty, they have a great buttery, smooth texture and a characteristic taste that can be highlighted with lime, lemmon or olive oil.

It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, and vegan or vegetarian dishes use it to substitute meat in sandwiches and main dishes.

It is not usually cooked because cooking provokes a chemical reaction in the flesh turning it bitter.

Raw avocado is served whole, sliced, or mashed.

As a spread it can be used on toast, bread and scons, replacing cream cheese, hummus, butter or margarine.

The best known use is as Guacamole a Mexican dip used with tortillas. It is used in sushi rolls and also as a soup.

Browning

Once you cut an avocado open, its pale green flesh starts to turn brown in contact with air. This is due to a process called enzymatic browning where a copper-containing enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) polymerizes the phenolic compounds in the flesh forming a brown, red or black pigment. Adding lemmon juice, which is acidic slows down this reaction helping them retain their original color.

As avocado has a subtle non-sweet or salty flavor, it is used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Closing Comments

Avocados are a great and tasty food, with many health benefits, it can be added to your diet easily incorporated into salads, as dips, and spreads. Complemented with olive oil and tomatos they will enhance the uptake of oil soluble vitamins and phytochemicals.