Avocado & Brain Function

Avocados may help protect against seizures.

The avocado, botanically classified as a single-seeded berry, contains more calories per gram than almost any other food, according to the University of California, Los Angeles, botany department. Far from being empty calories, avocados provide a wealth of nutritional benefits that elevate them to the status of functional food, one that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

Brain Signaling Blood Supply

Avocados improve blood supply and oxygenation to your brain, notes the Villanova University Dining Services website. Just a quarter of an avocado per day can produce measurable benefits. In a laboratory animal study published in the December 2011 issue of the "British Journal of Neurosurgery," a combination of avocado and soybean fats prevented oxidation and protected against nerve damage after the animals were exposed to low-oxygen conditions. Benefits were noted in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for such functions as planning and critical thinking.

Healthy unsaturated fats in avocados help keep your brain cell membranes flexible, according to Kansas State University. Avocados contain high quantities of monounsaturated fatty acids. A study published in the October 2012 issue of the "Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology" found that monounsaturated fatty acids helped protect nerve cells in the brain known as astrocytes, which provide support to information-carrying nerves. In the laboratory animal study, monounsaturated fats improved the brain's ability to control muscles in animals with impaired astrocyte function. Fish oil, also tested in this study, did not provide the same benefits. Researchers concluded that monounsaturated fats may be helpful in the treatment of certain brain disorders that involve problems with the ability of astrocytes to properly utilize lipids.

Stroke

Avocado oil may help preserve brain function by preventing stroke induced by high blood pressure, according to a study published in the April 2005 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." The study demonstrated a moderate blood pressure-lowering ability of avocado oil in laboratory animals by influencing the kidneys' blood pressure-regulating mechanisms, leading researchers to conclude that a diet rich in avocado oil may help maintain healthy blood pressure levels. Avocado oil contributes to stroke prevention by lowering cholesterol levels, and it provides similar amounts of cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fats to olive oil.

Seizures

Avocado leaf extract may offer potential benefits for reducing seizures, according to a study published in the August 2006 issue of the journal "Phytotherapy Research." In the laboratory animal study, avocado leaf extract in doses ranging from 100 milligrams to 800 milligrams per kilogram of body weight helped prevent seizures in response to several substances known to induce seizures. Researchers noted that avocado leaf extract worked by improving the transmission of the calming neurotransmitter GABA and may be useful for management of childhood epilepsy.

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