Health Benefits of Avocado Seed

Avocado seed extract may offer cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Avocados provide a number of practical and medicinal uses in addition to being a highly nutritious component of a healthy diet. Avocado skins offer antibiotic and antiparasitic benefits, and the leaves can be made into a poultice to speed wound healing or prepared as a tea to treat sore throats and diarrhea, according to Purdue University. Avocado seeds also offer a range of potential health benefits.

Antioxidants Antimicrobial

Avocado seed might offer natural antibiotic and antifungal benefits, according to a study published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal "Revista de Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical." In the test-tube study, avocado seed extracts inhibited a variety of pathogens, including Candida and other fungi and the mosquito that carries the tropical disease yellow fever.

A range of antioxidant phytochemicals in avocado seed, including flavanols and proanthocyanidins, might make avocado seed extract useful as a healthy food additive or antioxidant supplement, according to a study published in the May 2012 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of avocado seed might also help prevent food spoilage, according to a study published in the May 2011 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." The test-tube study showed that avocado seeds and skins contain higher levels and activity of antioxidant compounds such as catechins and procyanidins compared to avocado pulp. Seed and skin extracts protected against oxidation of fats and proteins in prepared meats, and moderately inhibited some types of pathogenic bacteria.

Cholesterol-lowering

Avocado seed lowered cholesterol levels and may protect against arterial plaque formation, according to a laboratory animal study published in the March 2012 issue of the journal "Plant Foods in Human Nutrition." Researchers attributed the cholesterol-lowering benefits to the seed's high content of dietary fiber, which lowers cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol in the intestinal tract and preventing absorption. Antioxidant activity of avocado seed might also help prevent cardiovascular disease by inhibiting lipid oxidation, a process that leads to arterial plaque formation. Further studies are needed to determine whether these benefits extend to humans.

Food Dye

An orange pigment that forms when avocado seed is crushed shows potential as a food colorant, according to a study published in the November 2011 issue of the "Journal of Food Science." Researchers noted that the pigment, which was stable in a range of pH and temperature conditions, might satisfy public demand for safe, natural alternatives to synthetic food dyes.

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