Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Avocado and Avocado Seeds

I just love it when I can eat food that not only tastes delicious but is also incredibly nutritious and healthy. That perfectly describes the avocado. It’s a true superfood, and unlike some others that are challenging to consume, avocado is yummy and can be prepared in countless ways.

For a long time, many people indiscriminately counted calories and feared fats, leading them to avoid this wonderful fatty fruit. But now the verdict is in: the fats avocado contains are healthy for you, and rigid calorie counting is often overrated. So, it's official: you can enjoy avocados to your heart’s content. Here are some compelling, science-backed reasons why:

Health Benefits of Avocado (The Fruit)

Avocados Are Rich in Carotenoids

Carotenoids are natural plant pigments and powerful antioxidants. Some types can be converted into vitamin A, which is essential for eye health. Carotenoids are fat-soluble, meaning they need a fatty environment to be absorbed. When you eat a fat-rich avocado alongside other fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids, your body can utilize these antioxidants more effectively. Adding a few slices of avocado to your salad is a great way to do this.

Avocados Make You Feel Full and Help You Lose Weight

This fact might seem surprising given the fruit’s caloric value (half a medium-sized avocado contains about 138 calories). However, because avocado promotes feelings of fullness, you tend to eat less overall. Avocado also contains oleic acid, which activates the part of the brain responsible for satiety. What's more, recent research indicates that eating healthy unsaturated fats can genuinely support your dieting efforts.

Good for the Heart and Reduce the Risk of Heart Attack

Since avocados are an excellent source of healthy fats, they boost your "good" cholesterol levels – high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Higher HDL numbers are always desirable as HDL prevents heart disease and stroke. If you have a family history of heart attack, ensure you keep avocados stocked in your kitchen.

Avocados Lower Your Bad Cholesterol Levels

Just as avocados increase HDL or ‘good cholesterol,’ they also help reduce LDL or ‘bad cholesterol.’ The oleic acid in avocados contributes to lowering your overall cholesterol levels, particularly the damaging LDL cholesterol, which is a major factor in cardiovascular disease. If you are struggling with high cholesterol levels, avocado could be a beneficial addition to your diet.

Avocados are High in Folate and Reduce the Risk of Birth Defects

This is particularly relevant for pregnant women, who need to take folic acid supplements. Avocado is very rich in folate, a vitamin that helps prevent birth defects. One cup of avocado contains a quarter of your daily recommended intake. Folic acid is also crucial for cell health, as it prevents cell changes that could lead to cancer, so everyone should consume enough of it.

Not Many Chemicals Can Touch Avocados So They Are Safe to Eat

If you’re concerned about pesticides in your food, you’ll be happy to hear that due to their thick skin, avocados are highly resistant to pesticide contamination. Additionally, they are less prone to insect attacks, meaning fewer pesticides are used in their cultivation in the first place. Indeed, avocados were on the top of the list of fruits and vegetables with the least pesticides for 2018.

Avocados Have Anti-Cancerous Properties

Avocados contain plenty of phytonutrients that increase the amount of antioxidants in your body. These antioxidants fight free radicals, which have the potential to cause cellular damage that may lead to cancer. Avocados may inhibit oral cancer and prostate cancer, as well as some other malignant diseases.

Good Source of Essential Vitamins and Minerals

Did you know that avocados contain more potassium than bananas? They are also rich in vitamin K, vitamin B5, and vitamin B6. They also hold a substantial amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is important for maintaining a strong immune system.

Avocados Are Rich in Dietary Fibers

Consuming enough fiber is essential for gut and overall health. With avocado, constipation can become a worry of the past. Dietary fibers also help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The good news is that one avocado contains almost half of your daily recommended intake of fiber.

Improve Brain Function and May Help Prevent Dementia

I saved my favorite avocado health benefit for last. Who would think that eating guacamole could improve your brain function? Well, research suggests avocados are right up there with blueberries in promoting brain health. They contribute to healthy blood flow and reduce blood pressure, ensuring your brain is nourished without interruptions. High blood pressure is often associated with cognitive decline, so keeping it within normal values will help keep your brain cells in optimal shape as you age.

Avocados Have Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Avocado helps prevent inflammation in the body, especially problems involving arthritis, due to several factors. It contains phytosterols, a major component of avocado fats. These phytosterols are important supporters of our inflammatory system, helping to keep inflammation under control. Additionally, its high content of carotenoids and other nutrients is a key factor in the anti-inflammatory properties of this fruit.

The Surprising Health Benefits of Avocado Seeds

While avocados are delicious fruits with a wealth of health benefits, many people discard the large seed. However, the avocado seed has surprising health benefits and may even contain the key to combating a type of cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)?

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow. AML causes cells in the bone marrow to become abnormal and not mature properly, leading to an excess of a certain cell type—called myeloid cells—in the bone marrow and bloodstream, leading to leukemia. As an acute form of cancer, it can spread and grow rapidly, infiltrating blood, the lymphatic system, internal organs, and reproductive organs if not treated in time.

Risk factors for AML include male gender, age 65 and older, chemical exposure, cigarette smoking, prior history of cancer, and prior exposure to radiation. Symptoms can include difficulty breathing, bone and joint pain, bleeding disorders, frequent infections, and fatigue.

The Research on AML and Avocado Pit

A recent study published in the April 2015 issue of the Cancer Research journal had an astonishing outcome: a compound contained within the pit of the avocado fruit showed anti-cancer properties against AML. A group of scientists from the University of Waterloo and Mount Sinai Hospital in Canada, and the University of Perugia in Italy, explored the effects of several different previously untested compounds on the growth and spread of cancer cells.

They administered several hundred natural health remedies to acute myeloid leukemia cells in vitro (in a lab dish) to see if any of the remedies were truly as effective against cancer as some claimed. The results were amazing: a compound in the avocado pit, called avocatin B, was found to be incredibly effective against AML cancer cells compared to the myriad other compounds tested in the study.

The researchers then injected acute myeloid cells exposed to avocatin B into mice. They compared the cells' ability to grow and develop in the bone marrow with acute myeloid cells that had not been exposed. Not only did the avocatin B compound kill off AML cancer cells, but it was able to do so without having any noteworthy effect on normal blood cells—something that standard chemotherapy treatments cannot boast. This means that one simple compound from the pit of the avocado could potentially kill cancer cells without negatively impacting a patient’s quality of life the way traditional treatments often do.

What Could the Research Mean?

This study has identified a compound that may lead to a new drug for treating AML. While there is still a long way to go, it’s incredible to think that this one part of the avocado—a part often discarded by many avocado-loving, health-conscious people—could hold the key to treating AML without harsh side effects, opening the door to better quality of life and improved survival outcomes for AML patients. Dr. Paul Spagnuolo, who spearheaded the research project, has applied for a patent in the hopes of using avocatin B in a forthcoming cancer-fighting drug that could potentially change the face of AML treatment forever, if effective in vivo.

Other Surprising Health Benefits of Avocado Seeds

Being a major combatant against an often-deadly form of cancer is impressive enough, but did you know that avocado seeds can help your health in other ways too?

Antioxidant Properties

The antioxidants contained within the avocado seed can help lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure, keep diabetes at bay, and boost the body’s natural immune response. A study by the National University of Singapore published in Food Chemistry in December 2004 concluded that avocado seed has an even greater level of antioxidant activity than the more commonly eaten parts of the fruit, and the seeds may contain more than 70% of the antioxidants found in the entire fruit.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The antioxidants in avocado pits can help reduce inflammation, which can aid in healing joint pain and keeping other inflammatory conditions in check. Research done by Pennsylvania State University and published in Current Pharmaceutical Design in 2013 found that the phenolic antioxidant compounds in the seeds may lower high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and reduce inflammatory conditions. The research also found that the seeds have insecticidal, fungicidal, and anti-microbial properties.

High Fiber Content

Avocado seed has a very high content of soluble fiber, which is important for digestive health as well as for heart disease patients, as it helps lower cholesterol levels. A high-fiber diet is one of the best ways to prevent constipation.

High Potassium Level

Avocado seed is very high in potassium, which is greatly important for our body. The level of potassium declines as the fruit matures and is higher when the avocado is not yet ripe.

Using Good Fat to Do Away with Body Fat

Because of the high “good fat” content of the avocado and its pit (as well as the high fiber content mentioned above), consuming avocado seeds can help you feel more full, paving the way to lose body fat without having to sacrifice the feeling of satiety that is often associated with many diets. Adding an avocado—seed included—per day can help keep cravings away.

How to Get the Benefits of the Hard Avocado Pit Into Your Body

It’s no wonder many people look at the avocado pit and hesitate to eat it: it’s large and hard. But by splitting it open with a good butcher knife and chopping it into smaller chunks, you can get your avocado seed ready to be blended into any smoothie of your choice.

It is virtually tasteless when blended with stronger-flavored fruits and veggies, yet it’s packed with nutrients that offer healing for your whole body. Make sure to use a super strong and heavy-duty food processor for blending the avocado seed.

Some people dry out the seed by leaving it in sunlight on a windowsill and then make a powder. Others grate the seed to add to sauces or use as a seasoning over food. You can also purchase avocado seed powder at your local health food store or online.

Eating avocado and utilizing its seed can be a powerful addition to your healthy and natural diet! You’ve got nothing to lose, so consider incorporating an avocado seed into your healthy routine!