AVOCADO: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

The avocado tree (Persea americana) produces a fruit with a creamy texture covered by a thick, green skin. It's a good source of potassium and healthy fats.

Avocado contains a lot of fiber, which might be the reason for its cholesterol-lowering effects. It's also rich in monounsaturated fats and is a good source of linoleic acid.

People use avocado for high cholesterol. It is also used for memory and thinking skills, aging skin, obesity, psoriasis, heart disease, and many other purposes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.

Don't confuse avocado with avocado soy unsaponifiables (ASU). These are not the same.

Uses & Effectiveness ?

Possibly Effective for

High cholesterol. Eating an avocado-rich diet seems to lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol. It also seems to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol.

There is interest in using avocado for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Avocado is commonly consumed as food. There isn't enough reliable information to know if avocado is safe to use as medicine.

When applied to the skin: Avocado oil is possibly safe when used for up to 3 months. It's usually well-tolerated. Some people might experience itching after using a cream containing avocado oil and vitamin B12.

Special Precautions and Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Avocado is commonly consumed as food. There isn't enough reliable information to know if avocado is safe to use in larger amounts as medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.

Latex allergy: People who are sensitive to latex can have an allergic reaction to avocado.

Stomach allergy to certain foods that causes vomiting and diarrhea: Some infants and children have a stomach allergy to milk, oat, rice, and other foods. This allergy causes a lot of vomiting and diarrhea. Eating avocado may cause the same reaction in these infants and children.

Interactions ?

Moderate Interaction

Be cautious with this combination

Warfarin (Coumadin) interacts with AVOCADO
Warfarin is used to slow blood clotting. Avocado has been reported to decrease the effects of warfarin. Decreasing the effects of warfarin might increase the risk of clotting. It is unclear why this interaction might occur. Be sure to have your blood checked regularly. The dose of your warfarin might need to be changed.

Dosing

Avocado is a popular fruit that's commonly eaten as food. It's most often consumed in amounts of 0.5-2 fruits daily. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

View References

REFERENCES:

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Blanco, C., Carrillo, T., Castillo, R., Quiralte, J., and Cuevas, M. Avocado hypersensitivity. Allergy 1994;49(6):454-459. View abstract.

Blotman, F., Maheu, E., Wulwik, A., Caspard, H., and Lopez, A. Efficacy and safety of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables in the treatment of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. A prospective, multicenter, three-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Rev Rhum Engl Ed 1997;64(12):825-834. View abstract.

Carranza-Madrigal, J., Herrera-Abarca, J. E., Alvizouri-Munoz, M., Alvarado-Jimenez, M. R., and Chavez-Carbajal, F. Effects of a vegetarian diet vs. a vegetarian diet enriched with avocado in hypercholesterolemic patients. Arch.Med.Res. 1997;28(4):537-541. View abstract.

Crisi, G. and Belsito, D. V. Contact urticaria from latex in a patient with immediate hypersensitivity to banana, avocado and peach. Contact Dermatitis 1993;28(4):247-248. View abstract.

de Groot, A. C., van der Meeren, H. L., and Weyland, J. W. Contact allergy to avocado oil in a sunscreen. Contact Dermatitis 1987;16(2):108-109. View abstract.

Ernst, E. Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) for osteoarthritis - a systematic review. Clin.Rheumatol. 2003;22(4-5):285-288. View abstract.

Henrotin, Y. E., Labasse, A. H., Jaspar, J. M., De Groote, D. D., Zheng, S. X., Guillou, G. B., and Reginster, J. Y. Effects of three avocado/soybean unsaponifiable mixtures on metalloproteinases, cytokines and prostaglandin E2 production by human articular chondrocytes. Clin.Rheumatol. 1998;17(1):31-39. View abstract.

Kim, O. K., Murakami, A., Nakamura, Y., and Ohigashi, H. Screening of edible Japanese plants for nitric oxide generation inhibitory activities in RAW 264.7 cells. Cancer Lett. 3-13-1998;125(1-2):199-207. View abstract.

Kim, O. K., Murakami, A., Nakamura, Y., Takeda, N., Yoshizumi, H., and Ohigashi, H. Novel nitric oxide and superoxide generation inhibitors, persenone A and B, from avocado fruit. J.Agric.Food Chem. 2000;48(5):1557-1563. View abstract.

Mauviel, A., Loyau, G., and Pujol, J. P. [Effect of unsaponifiable extracts of avocado and soybean (Piascledine) on the collagenolytic action of cultures of human rheumatoid synoviocytes and rabbit articular chondrocytes treated with interleukin-1]. Rev.Rhum.Mal Osteoartic. 1991;58(4):241-245. View abstract.

Zusman, I., Gurevich, P., Madar, Z., Nyska, A., Korol, D., Timar, B., and Zuckerman, A. Tumor-promoting and tumor-protective effects of high-fat diets on chemically induced mammary cancer in rats. Anticancer Res. 1997;17(1A):349-356. View abstract.

Ahlroth, M., Alenius, H., Turjanmaa, K., Makinen-Kiljunen, S., Reunala, T., and Palosuo, T. Cross-reacting allergens in natural rubber latex and avocado. J.Allergy Clin.Immunol. 1995;96(2):167-173. View abstract.

Alvizouri-Munoz M, Carranza-Madrigal J, Herrera-Abarca JE, et al. Effects of avocado as a source of monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipid levels. Arch Med Res 1992;23:163-7. View abstract.

Blanco C, Diaz-Perales A, Collada C, et al. Class I chitinases as potential panallergens involved in the latex-fruit syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103(3 Pt 1):507-13.

Blickstein D, Shaklai M, Inbal A. Warfarin antagonism by avocado. Lancet 1991;337:914-5.

Carranza J, Alvizouri M, Alvarado MR, et al. [Effects of avocado on the level of blood lipids in patients with phenotype II and IV dyslipidemias]. Arch Inst Cardiol Mex 1995;65:342-8. View abstract.

Cheng FW, Ford NA, Taylor MK. US Older Adults That Consume Avocado or Guacamole Have Better Cognition Than Non-consumers: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. Front Nutr 2021;8:746453. View abstract.

Cherian S, Neupert K, Varshney P. Avocado as an emerging trigger for food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2018;121(3):369-71. View abstract.

Colquhoun DM, Moores D, Somerset SM, Humphries JA. Comparison of the effects on lipoproteins and apolipoproteins of a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids, enriched with avocado, and a high-carbohydrate diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;56:671-7. View abstract.

Diaz-Perales A, Collada C, Blanco C, et al. Cross-reactions in the latex-fruit syndrome: A relevant role of chitinases but not of complex asparagine-linked glycans. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104:681-7. View abstract.

Dreher ML, Davenport AL. Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2013;53(7):738-50.View abstract.

Edwards CG, Walk AM, Thompson SV, et al. Effects of 12-week avocado consumption on cognitive function among adults with overweight and obesity. Int J Psychophysiol. 2020;148:13-24. View abstract.

Green HS, Wang SC. First report on quality and purity evaluations of avocado oil sold in the US. Food Control 2020;116:107328.

Guan VX, Neale EP, Probst YC. Consumption of avocado and associations with nutrient, food and anthropometric measures in a representative survey of Australians: a secondary analysis of the 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Br J Nutr 2021. View abstract.

Henning SM, Guzman JB, Thames G, et al. Avocado Consumption Increased Skin Elasticity and Firmness in Women - A Pilot Study. J Cosmet Dermatol 2022. View abstract.

Henrotin YE, Sanchez C, Deberg MA, et al. Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables increase aggrecan synthesis and reduce catabolic and proinflammatory mediator production by human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. J Rheumatol 2003;30:1825-34. View abstract.

Heskey C, Oda K, Sabaté J. Avocado intake, and longitudinal weight and body mass index changes in an adult cohort. Nutrients. 2019;11(3):691. View abstract.

Khan NA, Edwards CG, Thompson SV, et al. Avocado Consumption, Abdominal Adiposity, and Oral Glucose Tolerance Among Persons with Overweight and Obesity. J Nutr 2021;151(9):2513-2521. View abstract.

Kopec RE, Cooperstone JL, Schweiggert RM, et al. Avocado consumption enhances human postprandial provitamin A absorption and conversion from a novel high-ß-carotene tomato sauce from carrots. J Nutr 2014;144(8):1158-66. View abstract.

Lequesne M, Maheu E, Cadet C, Dreiser RL. Structural effect of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables on joint space loss in osteoarthritis of the hip. Arthritis Rheum 2002;47:50-8.. View abstract.

Lerman-Garber I, Ichazo-Cerro S, Zamora-Gonzalez J, et al. Effect of a high-monounsaturated fat diet enriched with avocado in NIDDM patients. Diabetes Care 1994;17:311-5. View abstract.

Lopez Ledesma R, Frati Munari AC, Hernandez Dominguez BC, et al. Monounsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hypercholesterolemia. Arch Med Res 1996;27:519-23. View abstract.

Maheu E, Mazieres B, Valat JP, et al. Symptomatic efficacy of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial with a six-month treatment period and a two-month followup demonstrating a persistent effect. Arthritis Rheum 1998;41:81-91. View abstract.

Márquez-Ramírez CA, Olmos-Orizaba BE, García-Berumen CI, et al. Avocado Oil Prevents Kidney Injury and Normalizes Renal Vasodilation after Adrenergic Stimulation in Hypertensive Rats: Probable Role of Improvement in Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress. Life (Basel) 2021;11(11):1122. View abstract.

Naveh E, Werman MJ, Sabo E, Neeman I. Defatted avocado pulp reduces body weight and total hepatic fat but increases plasma cholesterol in male rats fed diets with cholesterol. J Nutr 2002;132:2015-8.. View abstract.

Pacheco LS, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al. Avocado Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11(7):e024014. View abstract.

Park E, Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B. Avocado fruit on postprandial markers of cardio-metabolic risk: a randomized controlled dose response trial in overweight and obese men and women. Nutrients. 2018;10(9):1287. View abstract.

Segovia-Siapco G, Paalani M, Oda K, Pribis P, Sabaté J. Associations between Avocado Consumption and Diet Quality, Dietary Intake, Measures of Obesity and Body Composition in Adolescents: The Teen Food and Development Study. Nutrients 2021;13(12):4489. View abstract.

Sousa FH, Valenti VE, Pereira LC, et al. Avocado (Persea americana) pulp improves cardiovascular and autonomic recovery following submaximal running: a crossover, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):10703. View abstract.

Stucker M, Memmel U, Hoffmann M, et al. Vitamin B(12) cream containing avocado oil in the therapy of plaque psoriasis. Dermatology 2001;203:141-7. View abstract.

Wien M, Haddad E, Oda K, Sabate J. A randomized 3x3 crossover study to evaluate the effect of Hass avocado intake on post-ingestive satiety, glucose and insulin levels, and subsequent energy intake in overweight adults. Nutr J 2013;12:155.View abstract.

Painkillers and Opioid Use Disorder

CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
© Therapeutic Research Faculty 2020.

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AVOCADO - Uses, Side Effects, and More