One of the nutritional trends in recent years is to try to enrich the diets of those with chronic diseases with functional foods that contribute to health and better management of the disease. The fruit of Persea americana Mill., commonly known as avocado, contains a high amount of lipids and essential minerals such as magnesium, potassium and phosphorus in the mesocarp. From the mesocarp, virgin avocado oil with a high oleic content is also obtained using mechanical or natural techniques at low temperatures (<50 °C) and without refining. Virgin avocado oil is mainly composed of Mufa (>67%), mainly oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids. Prolonged intakes of diets rich in oleic acid may be helpful in protecting against cardiovascular disease because it can inhibit thrombotic action and platelet aggregation. A note of caution: variety, degree of ripeness, climate, soil composition and fertilisers are the main factors that largely influence the nutritional profiles of avocados and, secondly, the relative fatty acid content of avocado oil also depends on extraction methods.
Furthermore, while avocado oil is traditionally extracted from ripe fruit pulp, alternative sources such as avocado seed oil have recently increased in popularity, but insufficient evidence is available to support not only their health benefits, but also their safe use.
Virgin avocado oil also contains high concentrations of bioactive components. The main form of tocopherol found in cold-pressed oil is α-tocopherol (70-190 mg/kg) while β-, δ- and γ-tocopherols are present in smaller amounts (<10 mg/kg). The level of certain minerals is associated with the quality parameters of the oil. The main minerals present are iron (2.90 µg/kg), calcium (2.83 µg/kg), magnesium (1.64 µg/kg) and selenium (0.13 µg/kg) while others such as sodium, potassium, manganese, zinc and copper are present in trace amounts. β-sitosterol, validated for its ability to lower blood cholesterol, is the main phytosterol present in cold-pressed virgin oil (2.23-4.48 g/kg). In addition to its cholesterol-lowering activity, β-sitosterol has been shown to inhibit the production of carcinogenic compounds, alleviate symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and strengthen the immune system. These properties make it a candidate for use as a functional oil in the management of chronic diseases such as hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, diabetes and fatty liver disease. Most of the data in the literature on pharmacological effects, however, are still based on animal models. Studies in the 1990s showed that medium-term avocado intake not only reduced triglycerides, Ldl-cholesterol and total cholesterol, but may also increase Hdl levels, an effect not seen in the extracted oil, but in the fruit alone. It could also be that changes in Hdl cholesterol require longer-term intake. A 2017 cohort study compared hypercaloric and hyperlipidic diets on overweight subjects, with or without virgin avocado oil (Hass quality): there were no differences in postprandial plasma levels of Hdl cholesterol, while postprandial plasma levels of C-reactive protein, blood glucose, interleukin-6, insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol and Ldl cholesterol in those taking the oil were significantly better. The bioactive compounds and Mufa-rich lipid profile in the Hass avocado oil meal thus appear to be able to attenuate inflammation even in a high-fat, high-calorie diet. Bibliography Virgin avocado oil: an emerging source of functional fruit oil. Journal of Functional Foods. Vol. 54, March 2019 Pages 381-392. Avocado Oil: characteristics, properties, and applications. Molecules. 2019 Jun 10;24(11):2172. Avocado by-products: nutritional and functional properties. Trends in Food Science & Technology Volume 80 October 2018Pages 51-60. Avocado (Persea americana) seed as a source of bioactive phytochemicals. Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6133-40.
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