Avocado and canola oil: two fats with a cholesterol record

In a meta-analysis of 27 randomized trials with 1359 adults, canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.4 mg/dl (95% CI -10.8 to -2) and total cholesterol by 7.24 mg/dl, with no effect on HDL or triglycerides. The oils it replaced differed from trial to trial, and it measured blood lipids only. Avocado has its own meta-analysis of 10 trials with 229 people, where LDL fell by 16.5 mg/dL. That figure is the change from where each trial started, with no control group taken away, and the trials disagreed a lot with each other. A second avocado meta-analysis, of 18 studies of mixed design with 481 people, found no change in LDL at all and HDL 2.84 mg/dL higher. We found no trial that put the two foods head to head. The portions sit on different scales too. One raw avocado weighs 5.3 oz (150 g) and a tablespoon of canola oil 14 g, and the avocado trials fed 2.1 to 11 oz (60 to 300 g) a day, while people in observational studies ate 0 to 10 g.

How much is actually in it

• Canadian harvest monitoring 2010-2022 shows the alpha-linolenic acid share of canola fell from 9.93% to 8.16% of fatty acids as oleic acid rose. — Canadian Grain Commission Harvest Sample Program, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, 2010-2022 Evidence C source
  ALA 9.93 +/- 0.78 to 8.16 +/- 0.46 mass %; LA 19.21 to 18.06 mass %
• USDA measured Hass avocado at 20.3 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 8 samples, ranging from 18.8 to 21.8 g, with potassium 576 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, Avocado, Hass, peeled, raw, release 2026-04-30, 8 samples (n = 8) Evidence E source
  Fat 20.31 g (18.76-21.83); potassium 576.4 mg (528-623); folate 128.7 ug (102.5-146.9)

What a real portion looks like

• A scoping review of 45 avocado studies found trials fed 2.1 to 11 oz (60 to 300 g) a day while observational studies saw typical intakes of 0 to 10 g a day. — 45 unique studies (28 interventions, 17 observational), literature to April 2024 Evidence C source
  Intervention doses 60-300 g/d vs observational intakes 0-10 g/d
• In the USDA survey food table one raw avocado weighs 5.3 oz (150 g), while one tablespoon of canola oil weighs 14 g. — USDA FNDDS, Avocado, raw (food code 63105010) and Canola oil (food code 82105500) Evidence E source
  Avocado 1 fruit 150 g, 1 cup mashed 230 g; canola oil 1 tablespoon 14 g, 1 cup 224 g

What your body absorbs

• In two crossover RCTs with 12 adults each, adding avocado to a meal raised beta-carotene absorption 2.4-fold from tomato sauce and 6.6-fold from raw carrots. — two sets of 12 healthy men and women, 2-way crossover, single meals with or without Hass avocado (23 g lipid) (n = 24) Evidence B source
  Beta-carotene absorption x2.4 (tomato sauce), x6.6 (carrots); alpha-carotene x4.8; conversion to vitamin A x4.6 and x12.6
• In a 5-week crossover feeding RCT with 45 adults, one avocado a day raised plasma lutein by 68.7% and lowered oxidized LDL by 8.8%, more than a diet matched with high oleic oils. — 45 men and women aged 21-70 y with overweight or obesity and elevated LDL-C, 3 diets of 5 wk each (n = 45) Evidence B source
  Plasma lutein +19.6 nmol/L (+68.7%); oxLDL -7.0 U/L (-8.8%); both differed from moderate-fat diet with high oleic oils

What cooking and storage change

• In a crossover RCT with 20 obese adults, breakfasts made with oils heated through 20 frying cycles raised oxidative stress markers with sunflower oil, but not with a sunflower and canola blend carrying added antioxidants. — 20 obese people, four breakfasts in randomized crossover, oils subjected to 20 heating cycles (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Sunflower oil reduced plasma GSH and GSH/GSSG and raised protein carbonyls vs virgin olive oil and the antioxidant-protected seed-oil blends

What it does to your health

• In a meta-analysis of 27 randomized trials with 1359 adults, canola oil lowered total cholesterol by 7.24 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol by 6.4 mg/dl, with no effect on HDL or triglycerides. — 27 randomized controlled trials, 1359 participants (n = 1359) Evidence A source
  TC -7.24 mg/dl (95% CI -12.1 to -2.7); LDL -6.4 mg/dl (95% CI -10.8 to -2); no effect on HDL, TG, Apo B, Apo A1
• A meta-analysis of 18 studies of mixed design with 481 people links avocado intake with HDL cholesterol 2.84 mg/dL higher and no change in total or LDL cholesterol, triglycerides or body weight. — 18 eligible studies, 481 subjects (n = 481) Evidence C source
  HDL +2.84 mg/dL (95% CI 0.18 to 5.49), significant heterogeneity; no difference in TC, LDL-C, TG, body weight
• In a meta-analysis of 10 trials with 229 people, avocado-substituted diets lowered total cholesterol by 18.8 mg/dL, LDL by 16.5 mg/dL and triglycerides by 27.2 mg/dL. — 10 unique studies, n = 229 (n = 229) Evidence A source
  TC -18.80 mg/dL (95% CI -24.56 to -13.05); LDL-C -16.50 mg/dL (95% CI -22.91 to -10.10); TG -27.20 mg/dL (95% CI -44.41 to -9.99)
• In a meta-analysis of 25 trials, canola oil reduced body weight by 0.66 lb (0.30 kg) on average, with no significant effect on other body fat markers. — 25 randomized controlled clinical trials in adults, 23 effect sizes for body weight Evidence A source
  Body weight WMD -0.66 lb (95% CI -1.1 to -0.18; metric: -0.30 kg, -0.52 to -0.08); type 2 diabetes -1.4 lb (95% CI -2.4 to -0.37; metric: -0.63 kg, -1.09 to -0.17); no effect on other adiposity indexes
• An updated meta-analysis of 32 randomized trials found canola oil lowered BMI by 0.127 kg/m2 and slightly raised waist-to-hip ratio. — 32 randomized clinical trials in adults, searched to September 2024 Evidence A source
  BMI MD -0.127 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.231 to -0.024); WHR MD +0.003 (95% CI 0.001 to 0.005); other anthropometrics not significant
• In a double-blind crossover RCT in adults with high triglycerides, replacing solid fats and added sugars with one avocado a day for 3 weeks lowered non-HDL cholesterol by 4.65% and triglycerides by 17.4%. — 42 randomly assigned adults with triglycerides 135-499 mg/dL; two 3-wk periods; ~180 g avocado per day (n = 42) Evidence B source
  Non-HDL -4.65% (95% CI -9.01 to -0.08); TG -17.4% (95% CI -25.0 to -8.99); glucose, insulin, blood pressure not different

Safety, limits and interactions

• A paper re-analyzing a double-blind randomized infant formula trial notes that canola oil is a rapeseed variety low in erucic acid (<2%), long used in infant formula in Europe but not in North America due to safety concerns. — full-term infants in the German Infant Nutritional Intervention study, week 4 to month 7 Evidence B source
  No difference in absolute or standardized weight and length between formula groups
• Observational data link any avocado intake during pregnancy with 43.6% lower odds of food allergy in the child at 12 months. — 2272 mother-child pairs of the Kuopio Birth Cohort, Finland (n = 2272) Evidence C source
  Adjusted odds of child food allergy 43.6% lower in avocado consumers; no association with rhinitis, wheezing, eczema
• Observational data from 146 Asian American children with FPIES name avocado as the trigger food in 9.6% of cases, fourth after egg, oats and milk. — 146 Asian American children with acute FPIES, Northern California, 2015-2022 (n = 146) Evidence C source
  Avocado 9.6% of culprit foods; egg 36.3%, oats 24%, milk 16.4%

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a meta-analysis of 42 controlled trials, canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/l) versus olive oil and by 19 mg/dL (0.49 mmol/l) versus saturated fats. — 42 controlled clinical trials in adults comparing canola oil with other edible oils Evidence B source
  Vs olive oil LDL-C -6.6 mg/dL (-0.17 mmol/l) (9 trials); vs sunflower oil LDL-C -5.4 mg/dL (-0.14 mmol/l) (11); vs saturated fats LDL-C -19 mg/dL (-0.49 mmol/l) (10)
• The EU register lists the claim that avocado-soy extract gives natural flexibility to the joints and builds cartilage as non-authorized. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, snapshot 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Non-authorized

What is still unknown

• In an RCT of 251 adults with central obesity, one avocado a day for 6 months did not change memory, processing speed or other cognitive scores. — 251 adults with elevated waist circumference, 1 avocado per day vs avoiding avocado for 6 months (n = 251) Evidence B source
  No significant group by time interaction in any of five cognitive domains
• The same scoping review lists European, Asian, adolescent and senior populations, dose-response designs and longer trials as the missing avocado research. — 45 unique studies, literature to April 2024 Evidence C source
  Research gaps named, no effect size

The bottom line

On absorption, all the evidence is about avocado. In two crossover trials with 12 adults each, adding avocado to a single meal raised beta-carotene absorption 2.4-fold from tomato sauce and 6.6-fold from raw carrots. In a 5-week feeding trial with 45 adults with overweight and raised LDL, about 4.8 oz (136 g) of avocado a day raised plasma lutein by 68.7% and lowered oxidized LDL by 8.8%, changes that differed from a diet built on high oleic oils. In 42 adults with high triglycerides, one avocado a day in place of solid fats and added sugars for 3 weeks lowered triglycerides by 17.4% and non-HDL cholesterol by 4.65% (95% CI -9.01% to -0.08%) against an average American diet. Six months of one avocado a day did not significantly change memory or any other cognitive score in 251 adults with central obesity. Canola oil has a reputation as the lesser oil next to olive oil, and for LDL the trials point the other way. Across 9 controlled trials that compared the two, canola gave LDL 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/l) lower than olive oil. That pooled set included non-randomized trials, and the abstract gives no confidence interval. The canola effect on weight is small, 0.66 lb (0.30 kg) lower across 25 randomized trials (95% CI -0.52 to -0.08). A 2025 update of 32 trials found BMI 0.127 kg/m2 lower and waist-to-hip ratio very slightly higher. Canadian canola seed lost alpha-linolenic acid between 2010 and 2022, falling from 9.93% to 8.16% of its fatty acids as oleic acid rose. Those figures describe harvested seed, and we have no data for the bottle. The EU register lists as non-authorized the claim that avocado-soy extract builds joint cartilage. It does not say why, so the listing is no proof the extract fails. Who should be careful: in 146 Asian American children with FPIES, avocado was the trigger food in 9.6% of cases, fourth after egg, oats and milk, in one ethnic group within one health system. Canola oil is a rapeseed variety low in erucic acid, under 2%, and Europe has long used it in infant formula while North America held back over safety concerns. In a Finnish cohort of 2272 mother and child pairs, eating any avocado in pregnancy was linked with 43.6% lower odds of parent-reported food allergy at 12 months. That is an association in odds, and it cannot show that avocado prevents allergy. We found no card on medicines for either food.

Sources

1. avcn-daily-r7-15 · longitudinal cohort (composition)
   Data for this cohort showed the average mean ALA content decreased from 9.93 ± 0.78 mass % (average mean± standard deviation) to 8.16 ± 0.46 mass %, with a concomitant increase in oleic acid.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
2. avcn-daily-r7-19 · food composition dataset
   Avocado, Hass, peeled, raw | Total lipid (fat) | 20.31 G | range 18.76-21.83, median 20.09, 8 samples, spread 15% || Potassium, K | 576.4 MG | range 528.0-623.0, median 575.5, 8 samples, spread 16%
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-28
3. avcn-daily-r7-16 · scoping review
   Larger amounts of avocados were used in interventions than commonly consumed in observational studies (60-300 vs. 0-10 g/d, respectively).
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
4. avcn-daily-r7-20 · survey food dataset
   Avocado, raw | FNDDS code 63105010 | fdc_id 2709223 | 1 fruit 60813 = 150 g | 1 cup, mashed or pureed 10119 = 230 g || Canola oil | FNDDS code 82105500 | fdc_id 2710188 | 1 tablespoon 21000 = 14 g | 1 cup 10205 = 224 g
   USDA FNDDS (survey foods) · checked 2026-09-28
5. avcn-daily-r7-07 · RCT (crossover)
   Consumption of lipid-rich avocado enhanced the absorption of β-carotene from study 1 by 2.4-fold (P < 0.0001). In study 2, the absorption of β-carotene and α-carotene increased by 6.6- and 4.8-fold, respectively (P < 0.0001 for both).
   J Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-09-28
6. avcn-daily-r7-08 · RCT (crossover feeding)
   Compared with baseline, the AV diet significantly decreased circulating oxLDL (-7.0 U/L, -8.8%, P = 0.0004) and increased plasma lutein concentration (19.6 nmol/L, 68.7%, P < 0.0001), and both changes differed significantly from that after the MF and LF diets (P ≤ 0.05).
   J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
7. avcn-daily-r7-11 · RCT (crossover)
   Twenty obese people received four breakfasts following a randomised crossover design consisting of different oils (virgin olive oil (VOO), sunflower oil (SFO), and a mixed seed oil (SFO/canola oil) with added dimethylpolysiloxane (SOX) or natural antioxidants from olives (SOP)), which were subjected to 20 heating cycles.
   Food Chem, 2013 · checked 2026-09-28
8. avcn-daily-r7-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Twenty-seven trials, comprising 1359 participants, met the eligibility criteria. Results of this study showed that CO consumption significantly reduced TC (-7.24 mg/dl, 95% CI, -12.1 to -2.7), and LDL (-6.4 mg/dl, 95% CI, -10.8 to -2), although it had no effects on HDL, TG, Apo B, and Apo A1.
   J Am Coll Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-28
9. avcn-daily-r7-03 · meta-analysis
   Of 18 eligible studies (481 subjects), 7 studies compared avocado intake with no intake, 3 studies compared avocado plus monounsaturated fat intake with a control, and 8 studies reported data for qualitative synthesis. In 7 studies, avocado intake significantly increased HDL cholesterol (summary net change: 2.84 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.18, 5.49 mg/dL), with significant heterogeneity.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-09-28
10. avcn-daily-r7-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Ten unique studies (n = 229) were included. Avocado consumption significantly reduced TC, LDL-C, and TG by -18.80 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI], -24.56 to -13.05; I(2), 46.9%), -16.50 mg/dL (95% CI, -22.91 to -10.10; I(2), 72.5%), -27.20 mg/dL (95% CI, -44.41 to -9.99; I(2), 91.1%) respectively.
    J Clin Lipidol, 2016 · checked 2026-09-28
11. avcn-daily-r7-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    The meta-analysis revealed that CO consumption reduces BW [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.30 kg; 95% CI: -0.52, -0.08 kg, P = 0.007; n = 23 effect sizes], particularly in participants with type 2 diabetes (WMD = -0.63 kg; 95% CI: -1.09, -0.17 kg, P = 0.007)
    Adv Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-28
12. avcn-daily-r7-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    CO consumption significantly increased WHR (MD: 0.003 cm, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005, P value: 0.003) and significantly decreased BMI (mean difference (MD): -0.127 kg/m2, 95% C: -0.231, -0.024, P value: 0.016) However, it did not significantly affect other anthropometric measures (P > 0.05).
    Nutr J, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
13. avcn-daily-r7-09 · RCT (crossover feeding)
    An intention-to-treat analysis showed significantly larger percentage changes, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), from baseline after the avocado condition, compared with after the control condition, for non-HDL cholesterol (-4.65%; 95% CI: -9.01%, -0.08%; P = 0.047), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-9.30%; 95% CI: -15.3%, -2.82%; P = 0.007); TG (-17.4%; 95% CI: -25.0%, -8.99%; P < 0.001)
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
14. avcn-daily-r7-12 · RCT re-analysis
    Canola oil is a variety of rapeseed oil low in erucic acid (<2%). For many years, canola oil has been widely used as an ingredient in infant formula in Europe, but not in North America due to safety concerns.
    Clin Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-28
15. avcn-daily-r7-13 · cohort
    Compared to avocado non-consumers (during pregnancy), avocado consumers (during pregnancy) had 43.6% lower odds of reporting food allergy among their children at the 12-month follow-up questionnaire while adjusted for relevant covariates.
    Pediatr Res, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
16. avcn-daily-r7-14 · retrospective cohort
    The most common culprit foods included egg (36.3%), oats (24%), milk (16.4%), avocado (9.6%), rice (6.8%), and peanut (5.5%).
    Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
17. avcn-daily-r7-02 · meta-analysis of controlled trials
    Compared to olive oil, CO decreased TC (-0.23 mmol/l, n = 9), LDL-C (-0.17 mmol/l, n = 9), LDL/HDL (-0.39, n = 2), and triglycerides in VLDL (VLDL-TG, -0.10 mmol/l, n = 2) (P < 0.05). Compared to sunflower oil, CO improved LDL-C (-0.14 mmol/l, n = 11), and LDL/HDL (-0.30, n = 3) (P < 0.05). In comparison with saturated fats, CO improved TC (-0.59 mmol/l, n = 11), TG (-0.08 mmol/l, n = 11), LDL-C (-0.49 mmol/l, n = 10), TC/HDL (-0.29, n = 5), and Apo B (-0.09 g/l, n = 4) (P < 0.05).
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
18. avcn-daily-r7-18 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6664 Avocado-soy extract Natural flexibility for the joints. Accelerates the formation of new cartilage by increasing the formation of cartilage growth factors. Facilitates exercise. Activates the building of joint cartilage. Natural flexibility remains. Accelerates the formation of collagen in joint membrane cells (synoviocytes). Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6664, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-28
19. avcn-daily-r7-10 · RCT
    The consumption of one avocado per day without any additional lifestyle modifications for six months did not significantly alter cognitive function in adults with central obesity across all age groups.
    J Nutr Health Aging, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
20. avcn-daily-r7-17 · scoping review
    Future recommendations for novel research include the study of: European, Asian, adolescent or younger, and senior populations; dose-response designs and longer length interventions; dietary compensation; and the need for greater replication.
    Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28