Are Avocados Good Fat?

Avocados are a type of fruit with a hard outer layer and an edible, creamy consistency on the inside. One serving of avocado is measured as one-fifth of a medium fruit, or 30 g or 1 oz. Each serving contains 50 calories and 4.5 g of fat. The main source of fat from avocados is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, with 3 g per serving. This makes avocados a good fat.

Heart Health

The monounsaturated fat found in avocados can reduce your risk for heart disease. It does this by lowering both your total cholesterol and your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol and raising your high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol. If you have low total and LDL cholesterol levels and high HDL blood levels, you are less likely to experience heart disease. Do not consume your avocados with foods high in saturated fat such as dairy and beef because it might negate the heart-healthy benefits of the monounsaturated fats.

Weight Loss

A 2005 study featured in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" found that the consumption of avocados does not interfere with weight loss. The study included 61 obese volunteers who consumed 30.6 g of fat from avocados instead of dietary fat from other fatty food sources while on a calorie-restricted diet. It concluded that the avocados did not prevent weight loss among the participants.

Acne

Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz claim that the inadequate intake of healthy fats from foods such as avocados can lead to acne. Dr. Nicholas Perricone notes that the monounsaturated fats in avocados make them an anti-inflammatory food that can prevent acne breakouts.

Saturated Fat in Avocados

Avocados contain 0.5 g of saturated fat. Although this is a relatively small amount, saturated fat can cause high cholesterol and heart disease. If you already have heart disease, you might also want to avoid avocados until you reverse it through medication or lifestyle modifications.