Avocado oil is delicious, nutritious, and easy to use. It’s rich in oleic acid, polyunsaturated fats, carotenoids, and other antioxidant-rich nutrients that are linked to improved heart, skin, and eye health.

Avocado oil is the natural oil pressed from the pulp of an avocado. About 60% of avocado oil consists of heart-healthy oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid.

This fatty acid is also the main component of olive oil and is believed to be partly responsible for its health benefits. Additionally, around 12% of avocado oil is saturated fat, and about 13% is polyunsaturated fat.

One rat study compared avocado oil to losartan, a blood pressure medication, for 45 days. It found that avocado oil reduced diastolic and systolic blood pressure by 21.2% and 15.5%, respectively, and had similar effects to losartan in reducing blood pressure.

Another rat study found that avocado oil was effective in reducing levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol and did not affect HDL (good) cholesterol. This was comparable to olive oil, another heart-healthy oil.

While these results are promising, larger human clinical trials are still needed.

Avocado and its oil are relatively good sources of lutein, a carotenoid and antioxidant that’s naturally found in your eyes.

Research has shown that a diet rich in lutein and another carotenoid called zeaxanthin is essential for eye health and may reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, which are common age-related eye diseases.

Since your body doesn’t produce lutein on its own, you must obtain it from your diet. Fortunately, adding avocado and avocado oil to your diet is a great and easy way to support your eye health.

Some nutrients need to be combined with fat to allow your body to absorb them, such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Adding avocado oil or another type of fat to your meal may help you better absorb these nutrients.

One small study found that adding avocado oil to a salad with carrots, romaine lettuce, and spinach increased the absorption of carotenoids. The increase was substantial — 4.3- to 17.4-fold — when compared with a salad without fat.

Other studies have shown that olive oil, which has a very similar oleic acid content to avocado oil, is highly effective in increasing the bioavailability of carotenoids.

Therefore, adding avocado oil to a salad, marinade, or other dish may help your body absorb more nutrients.

Arthritis is a very common disease that involves painful inflammation of the joints. It affects millions of people worldwide.

While there are many types of arthritis, the most common type is osteoarthritis, which is associated with the breakdown of cartilage in the joints.

Numerous studies have found that extracts from avocado and soybean oil, called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), may reduce the pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis.

You can find ASU supplements in most wellness stores and online. But be sure to speak with a healthcare professional to make sure it’s right for you.

A diet rich in antioxidants helps fight free radicals, which are unstable compounds that can damage cells over time. When an imbalance occurs, this can lead to oxidative stress.

Fortunately, avocado oil contains a large number of antioxidants to benefit your health, such as carotenoids, tocopherols (forms of vitamin E), and various plant sterols.

Avocado oil is delicious, nutritious, and easy to use.

It’s rich in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat), polyunsaturated fats, carotenoids, and other antioxidant-rich nutrients that are linked to improved heart, skin, and eye health.

You can easily add it to your diet in a salad, as part of a dip or marinade, or as a replacement for most other plant oils.

If you’re looking to switch things up, give avocado oil a try.