6 Amazing Health Benefits of Avocados

In a world where dietary trends come and go, there is one fruit that has stood the test of time and continues to capture the hearts and taste buds of health-conscious individuals: the avocado. Beyond its luscious texture and rich, buttery flavor lies a true nutritional powerhouse.

Whether you spread it on toast, blend it into a creamy smoothie, or simply enjoy it sliced in a salad, avocados offer far more than just a delightful culinary experience. In this article, we embark on an exploration of the amazing health benefits of avocados. From promoting heart health to boosting brain function, this humble fruit has earned its rightful place as a beloved superfood.

However, apart from the enormous health benefits of avocados, they (like most foods) do have a downside. This article presents a balanced view of the fruit by looking and both the health benefits and the downside.

What is Avocado?

Avocado (Persea americana) is an evergreen tree, which belongs to the laurel family (Lauraceae). Its fruit is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.[1] Avocados are cultivated in tropical climates around the world.

The tree can be propagated through vegetative and non-vegetative means. Mexico is the top avocado-producing country in the world while the Dominican Republic is the second largest producer. Other countries producing avocados are Peru, Indonesia, and Columbia, amongst others [2].

The fruit is widely commercialized/exported and is available in both developed and other countries, including Canada and the United States.

How are Avocados Consumed?

According to Healthline, apart from eating avocado as a normal fruit and as a dessert, you can eat them seasoned, stuffed (with eggs, bacon/other meat products, herbs, or spices), in scrambled eggs, on toast, in guacamole, as a substitute for mayo, in salads, in soups, as a substitute for sour cream, in sushi rolls, grilled, pickled, as fries, etc.

Many people enjoy the fruit but with little or no knowledge of the numerous health benefits of avocados. A look at the nutritional benefits of avocados provides insight into the various ways you can benefit from consuming them. Let’s dive in.

Health Benefits of Avocados – Nutritional Composition

Proximate Composition

Avocado is regarded as a “superfood” because of its unique nutritional composition, antioxidant content, and biochemical profile.

According to USDA Nutrition Database data on avocado benefits, the nutrients in 100g of avocados ((Based on 86% California and 14% Florida varieties) include the following:

• Water               –                    73.2 g
• Calories              –                   160 kcal
• Protein              –                    2 g
• Total Lipid (fat)   –                 14.7 g
• Carbohydrates    –                 8.53 g
• Dietary Fiber       –                  6.7 g                  

Vitamins and Minerals in Avocados

Some of the health benefits of avocados are attributable to their rich mineral content. According to the USDA Nutrition Database data on avocado benefits, the minerals present in avocados are Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, and Fluoride. The table below shows the amount of each of these minerals per 100g of avocados.

Table 1: Mineral Content of Avocados (Based on 86% California and 14% Florida varieties)

Mineral	Quantity	Unit per 100g
Calcium, Ca	12	mg
Iron, Fe	0.55	mg
Magnesium, Mg	29	mg
Potassium, K	52	mg
Sodium, Na	485	mg
Zinc, Zn	7	mg
Copper, Cu	0.64	mg
Phosphorus, P	0.19	mg
Selenium, Se	0.142	mg
Manganese, Mn	0.4	µg
Fluoride, F	7	µg

The health benefits of avocados also derive from their rich vitamin content. The table below shows vitamin content of avocados (Source: USDA Nutrition Database).

Table 2: Vitamins Content of Avocados (Based on 86% California and 14% Florida varieties)

Bioactive Compounds of Avocados

Many of the health benefits of avocados are due to the presence of secondary compounds. In addition to the basic nutrients, avocados will supply your body with numerous health-promoting bioactive compounds and secondary plant metabolites.

According to USDA Nutrition Database, the bioactive compounds in avocados include Carotenoids (beta-Carotene, alpha Carotene, beta-Cryptoxanthin, and Lutein-zeaxanthin), tocopherols (alpha-tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol), and sterols (Stigmasterol, Campesterol, and Beta-sitosterol).

Others are condensed tannins, phenolic acids (up to 19 individual compounds), and flavonoids.

Notably, the bioavailability (level of absorption and utilization in the body) of secondary metabolites has been proven to be higher in avocados than in non-oily fruits and vegetables, such as carrots.

In fact, absorptions of provitamin A, including β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin in other foods were found to be enhanced when co-consumed with avocado.[4].

Potential Health Benefits of Avocados

There are many potential health benefits of avocados. This section presents six of them, which are backed up by scientific research.

I. May Support Heart Health

One of the most important health benefits of avocados is that it is good for your heart. According to some clinical studies, there is a positive effect on cardiovascular (heart) health and lipid profiles with the presence of avocado in the diet. [5], [6]. This may be attributable to the presence of essential fats as well as the sterols content of avocados.

Essential fatty acids are those your body needs, but cannot produce by itself. This means that they must be supplied to the body from an external source. They include omega-3, Omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids.

The health benefits of avocados for the heart were confirmed by Caldas et al. [7], who conducted a systematic review to study the effects of avocados on the heart health of adults. After including eight articles from initial 234 studies, they concluded that the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids, specifically oleic fatty acids in avocado has been linked with its cardioprotective effects (protection for the heart).

More so, according to the American Heart Association, consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids, and generally all mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Further, the consumption of beta-sitosterol as well as other plant sterols present in avocados is effective in the maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels, which are important for heart health.

Lastly, the carotenoids present in avocados have anti-inflammatory properties, which may also help protect your heart against diseases.

II. May Support Eye Health

Another important aspect of the health benefits of avocados is that it is good for your eyes. The content of carotenoids, Vitamin A, and tocopherols in avocados may promote healthy eyes.

According to Medical News Today, the presence of two “eye phytochemicals” lutein and zeaxanthin in avocados may promote healthy vision. These antioxidants help to minimize the damage caused by ultra-violet rays of the sun and other light sources.

More so,  A study published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology reported that diets rich in carotenes (lutein and zeaxanthin) were associated with decreased cataracts. As shown earlier, avocados are a rich source of these compounds. The Carotenes help protect your eyes against harsh effects by absorbing blue light. They are also converted to Vitamin A, which is known to be essential for your eye health.

III. May Promote Bone Health

The third vital aspect of the health benefits of avocados is that it promotes healthy bones. The American Bone Health highlights the vitamins essential for bone health, including Vitamins A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K, which are present in avocados.

Vitamin K is vital to normal bone growth and development. It helps attract calcium to your bones, improving bone density and reducing fracture risk and the chances of osteoporosis.

The minerals essential for bone health (American Bone Health) that are present in avocados include Copper, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Zinc.

IV. May Promote Gastrointestinal Health

Another one of the health benefits of avocados is that they support a healthy gut. Avocados are rich in dietary fiber. In 100g of avocados, you would obtain about 6.7g of dietary fiber, according to the USDA Nutrition database.

Everyone needs good amounts of fiber because it enhances the overall health of the digestive system. Fiber improves bowel movement and supports the growth of healthy bacteria, thereby encouraging the digestion of food and preventing/relieving constipation.

Further, avocados have been shown to improve the microflora of the intestines by working as a prebiotic. [8] These healthy bacteria enhance the overall health of your gut.

According to Mayo Clinic, foods containing fiber can also help to maintain a healthy weight, and lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

V. Good in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

This is another important one of the health benefits of avocados. Avocados are rich in nutrients that support healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding. Nutrients such as folate, potassium, and vitamin C are essential for healthy pregnancy/breastfeeding. As shown earlier in this article, avocados contain these nutrients.

A single avocado delivers about 27% of the recommended folate intake during pregnancy. Also, the high fiber content in avocado helps in preventing constipation, which is highly common in pregnancy.

VI. Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties

Finally, due to the presence of some vitamins and various bioactive compounds, some of which are mentioned in section A, avocados may have antioxidant properties.

These antioxidants contribute to amazing health benefits of avocados for your skin and entire body. They help improve the health and appearance of your skin and protect your body from free radical damage.

The antioxidant properties of avocados explain why the oil is widely used in cosmetics/skin care. As usually seen in spas, you can use avocado pulp to prepare skin masks, which help prevent the appearance of wrinkles. You can also use them to relieve dermatitis or burns.  The healthy fat content of avocado may help in skin-health support.

C. The Downside

When considering the amazing health benefits of avocados, do not forget this downside. Avocados are considered very high in calories. As you can see from the presented data, 100 g of avocado contains 160 kcal of energy. This is important information to consider. To derive the health benefits from avocados, moderation is key.

The Bottom Line

Scientific data presented by the USDA Nutrition Database and other sources show that avocados are rich in nutrients, as well as many health-promoting bioactive compounds/antioxidants.

Another interesting fact to spotlight is that the bioavailability of fat-soluble nutrients and secondary metabolites has been proven to be higher in avocados than in non-oily or less-oily fruits and vegetables, such as carrots. Also, consuming avocados with other foods may enhance the absorption of certain nutrients from the food.

This article has presented six ways (not exhaustive) your body may benefit from avocado consumption. However, you should note that avocados are calorie-dense, and take this into account when making meals out of avocados.

You may also be interested in Amazing Black Beans Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Sources

1.  Storey, W. B. (1973). “What kind of fruit is the avocado?”. California Avocado Society 1973–74 Yearbook. 57: 70–71.
2. WorldAtlas. The Biggest Avocado Producing Countries in the World. Retrieved:  20^th Oct. 2022.
3. Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties. USDA Food Central. Retrieved: 20^th Oct. 2022.
4. Bhuyan et al. 2019. The Odyssey of Bioactive Compounds in Avocado (Persea americana) and Their Health Benefits. Antioxidants 8(10), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8100426
5. Dreher, M.L.; Davenport, A.J. Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2013, 53, 738–750. [Google Scholar].
6. Noorul, H.; Nesar, A.; Zafar, K.; Khalid, M.; Zeeshan, A.; Vartika, S. Health benefits, and pharmacology of Persea americana mill. (Avocado). Int. J. Res. Pharmacol. Pharmacother. 2016, 5, 132–141. [Google Scholar]
7. Silva Caldas, A.P.; Chaves, L.O.; Linhares Da Silva, L.; De Castro Morais, D.; Gonçalves Alfenas, R.d.C. Mechanisms involved in the cardioprotective effect of avocado consumption: A systematic review. Int. J. Food Prop. 2017, 20, 1675–1685.
8. Dreher, M.L.; Davenport, A.J. Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2013, 53, 738–750.
9. Megan Ware (2021). 12 Health Benefits of Avocado – Medical News today. http: www//.medicalnewstoday.com
10. USDA Nutrition Database.