Avocado oil may help fight bad cholesterol

Dr. Kevin Huffman, a bariatric physician and CEO of Ambari Nutrition, believes avocado oil can make all the difference in the health of your holiday meal.
Potatoes, parsnips and turkey are likely among the diverse items on a typical Christmas shopping list. However, one nutritionist suggests it's certainly worth adding one more little-known product - especially for those worried about cholesterol.
Dr. Kevin Huffman, a bariatric physician and CEO of Ambari Nutrition, believes avocado oil could make all the difference in the health of your holiday meal. This is mostly due to the "monounsaturated fats" that can help reduce "bad cholesterol" in the blood.
"These oils are monounsaturated fats, which means they contain many more nutrients and can improve cholesterol levels," he tells Patient, adding, "Turning mashed potatoes into mashed cauliflower also offers a creative and nutritious replacement for side dishes."
Dr. Huffman is certainly not alone in his views, as various other experts have also extolled the benefits of avocado oil. These include two scientists from China's Hunan Agricultural University, who last month outlined its surprising benefits in a scientific review.
Among the many components they draw attention to are fatty acids and a rich amount of 'phytosterols', the latter being associated with potentially lower cholesterol levels. However, further research is needed to better understand these links.
"Avocado oil has a protective effect against hyperlipidemia by lowering TC, TG, and LDL-C levels and protecting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, a behavior that may be due to high levels of MUFAs, phytosterols, and tocopherols," the study experts write.
"The exceptional potential of avocado oil as a health food has many advantages, among which the intrinsic nutrients of fatty acids, phytosterols, PAHs, tocopherols and fat-soluble pigments have been studied extensively. However, there are still insufficient studies on whether other fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin K) contained in avocados enter avocado oil during the extraction process, as well as on their content, stability and biological activity," they added. | BGNES