Avocados are fruits with a wide array of beneficial nutrients, not the least ones being the only fruit with approximately 20 g of mono-unsaturated fat perfect for a heart-healthy diet, and the ability to help absorb phytochemicals from other fruits and vegetables. At the same time, as with most foods that pack powerful attributes, there are adverse effects associated from consuming too much of it, either as a nutritional supplement or in its original form.
Consumption
Avocados consumed in regular food amounts appear to be perfectly safe except for patients using the anticoagulant drug warfarin; avocados seems to inhibit the drug's effect. Aside from that, only positive effects have been recorded, such as regular consumption of avocado being able to reduce, through the high amount of lutein, LDL levels (“bad cholesterol) and augmenting HDL (“good” cholesterol) in the blood.
Protection
Avocados are abundant in vitamins B6, C, and E, magnesium, folate, and dietary fiber, and contain 60 percent more potassium than bananas. The Haas avocado in particular, commonly grown in California, is abundant in persenone A, an ingredient that apparently prevents inflammation associated with a variety of diseases, including certain cancers. Avocado extract has shown to help the absorption of calcium, lycopene, lutein and carotenes.
Extract
Avocado can be found in the health food aisle under avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), which is a combination of avocado oil and soybean oil. The purpose of this is to have people enjoy the benefits of the product without having to deal with the drawbacks. In the case of avocado, a drawback is its very high fat content, even though it has been shown that 200 g a day of avocado does not compromise weight loss “when substituted for 30 g of mixed dietary fat.”
Reactions
Some people are allergic to avocados and can show the following symptoms after consuming avocado and soybean extracts: vomiting, bronchial asthma, skin outbreaks, rhinoconjunctivitis, urticaria (hives) and angioedema (swelling under the skin).
Caution
When using ASU, it is best to look for a product that uses organic ingredients because most soybean products stem from genetically altered soy. In addition, you should avoid ASU manufactured in Mexico because two flavor-enhacing substances, estragole and anethole, are added to the extract. Both of them are suspected of causing damage to the liver and might possibly be carcinogenic, according to Natural Standard.
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