Avocado oil ‘could be a weapon against heart disease and cancer’

Biochemistry researchers in Mexico have found that avocado oil could be a weapon against heart disease and cancer, as well as having anti-ageing properties similar to the ones found in olive oil.

Researchers presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in San Diego, California, US, which found that fat pressed from the exotic fruit could be a potential weapon against conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

They found that avocado could have the power to combat destructive rogue molecules, often called ‘free radicals’, which wreak havoc in the body, triggering chain reactions that destroy cell membranes, proteins and even DNA. These are thought to be the prime drivers of ageing and also play a role in damage to arteries and cancer.

Tomatoes and carrots are known to neutralise these free radicals, but according to Christopher Cortes-Rojo, who led the research on avocado oil, they cannot reach the free radicals in mitochondria.

However, experiments on yeast showed that avocado oil was effective against mitochondrial free radicals. Yeast cells treated with the oil were able to survive high exposure to iron, which triggers production of huge numbers of the molecules.

Posted by Ben Evans