Is Avocado Oil Good for Weight Loss?

Summary

If you’re on a weight loss journey or simply trying to be healthier in general, you need to be aware of your fat sources. Not all fats are bad, and many fats are a healthy, essential part of our diet. “What are Healthy Fats? (20 Examples).” Healthy fats like monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids can maintain healthy lipid metabolism, reduce risks of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and keep you feeling fuller for longer, reducing the desire to snack between meals. Is Avocado Oil Good for Weight Loss?

Unhealthy fats like trans-fat and saturated fatty acids (like margarine and vegetable oil) can cause these diseases that unsaturated fatty acids improve. Avocado oil is a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids and is a healthier alternative to your traditional cooking oils like vegetable oil and canola oil. In this article, we’ll cover:

1. The benefits of avocado oil for weight loss
2. Answering the question “is avocado oil good for weight loss”
3. The health benefits of avocado oil and diseases it can prevent

Avocados, Avocado Oil, and Weight Loss

Why avocadoes are great for weight loss

Avocados and avocado oil have long been part of many diets, boasting low carbohydrate and calorie content and high levels of healthy monounsaturated fatty acid. In a recent study performed in North American adults, avocado consumers, in general, gained less weight over time than non-avocado eaters [1].

While this generates the question of what constitutes the rest of their diet, it’s clear that those who focus on seeking and eating healthy alternatives like avocadoes and their by-products are healthier in general.

The Mediterranean diet, which is high in healthy fats and has been steadily gaining popularity in the weight loss industry, is high in avocados which grow well in this region [2]. Some research has even shown avocadoes feed our gut microbiome and keep us healthier by regulating these essential microbes [3].

This prevents disease and can help you lose weight by increasing your metabolic rate. In a recent clinical trial, avocadoes helped the participants lose weight because their high-fat content kept them from feeling hungry and increased meal satisfaction [4]. This reduces the desire to snack.

How to find the avocado oil with the highest nutrient value

If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s important to know that different avocado oil varieties are processed differently but sold under the same label [5]. Cold-pressed avocado oil is considered best, retaining many of the nutrients of the original fruit. “Virgin” avocado oil is produced from fruit that is damaged (has small rot spots or other minor problems) [6].

Instead, seek out “extra virgin” avocado oil produced from high-quality fruit with mechanical methods (chemical solvent-free), giving you the nutrients you want. Try to avoid “pure avocado oil,” which is bleached, deodorized, and infused with avocado flavor, and “mixed avocado oil,” which is made from a blend of olive avocado, macadamia, and other oils [6].

Health Benefits of Avocado Oil

Avocado oil can improve liver function

Studies with rats have confirmed that avocado oil may be beneficial in reducing your risk of liver disease. Rats fed avocado oil had fewer biochemical markers indicative of liver disease than those fed olive oil [7].

Avocadoes (and avocado oil) are high in micronutrients

Now, we come back to the point of ensuring you are getting the least processed and purest avocado oil you can. You want to make sure your avocado oil has retained the micronutrients that make this fruit so healthy, including magnesium, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin K, niacin, and many others [8].

Avocado oil can reduce high blood pressure

In rats with induced high blood pressure, a diet including avocado oil reduced this unhealthy state. In their kidneys, the oil decreased unhealthy lipid content and boosted their healthy lipid levels compared to rats who did not consume avocado oil [9].

Rabbits fed with avocado oil had slightly less atherosclerosis and high cholesterol than those fed with coconut oil [10]. This implies that avocado oil helps regulate the appropriate levels of healthy lipids, which keep our cardiovascular system, liver, and kidneys healthy [11, 12, 13, 14].

Avocadoes are high in antioxidants and can reduce inflammation

Too many free oxygen radicals (which are a nasty by-product of our metabolism and can cause diseases like cancer) can result in chronic inflammation. Lucky for us, avocadoes and avocado oil are high in antioxidants, which can get rid of these radicals before they can harm our body. [15]

In conclusion, is avocado oil good for weight loss?

So have your avocadoes and your avocado oil, too. Whether you want to be a healthier you or lose some weight, avocado oil is a healthy alternative to other cooking oils. Look for sources of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids to replace the unhealthy saturated and trans-fats in your diet and watch your waistline and overall health improve.

Read also “10 Healthy Fruits and 10 Not So Healthy.”