Avocado oil: a cooking fat with almost no research of its own

The strongest evidence with avocado in its name is about a supplement. Avocado soybean unsaponifiables are an extract of avocado and soybean oils sold as the drug Piascledine, and in a Cochrane review of 4 randomized trials with 651 people with osteoarthritis, 300 mg a day cut pain by 8.5 points on a 100 point scale (95% CI 1 to 16), an improvement the reviewers called small and clinically questionable. A meta-analysis of 69 supplement trials reached the same place: a statistically significant pain effect of unclear clinical importance. Over 3 years in 399 people with hip osteoarthritis, the extract did not slow average joint space loss, which was the main endpoint, and on a secondary measure fewer people got worse, 40 percent against 50. None of this tells you anything about the oil in your frying pan. We did not find a human trial of avocado oil as a cooking fat on cholesterol or blood sugar, and a national Australian survey of avocado and heart risk left the oil out of its analysis on purpose.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A review gives avocado oil as 71% monounsaturated, 13% polyunsaturated and 16% saturated fat. — Hass avocado, review of composition data Evidence D source
  MUFA 71%, PUFA 13%, SFA 16%
• USDA reference data list avocado oil as 100 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), of which 11.56 g is saturated. — USDA SR Legacy, one entry (n = 1 food record) Evidence E source
  Fat 100 g, saturated fat 11.56 g, zinc 0 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What your body absorbs

• Adding 24 g avocado oil to a salad raised absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein similarly to 5.3 oz (150 g) of avocado, which gave up to 15 times the avocado-free salad. — healthy adults, 11 per study, postprandial crossover over 9.5 h (n = 11) Evidence C source
  With 150 g avocado: alpha-carotene 7.2x, beta-carotene 15.3x, lutein 5.1x the AUC of avocado-free salad; avocado oil gave similar gains

What it does to your health

• In a Cochrane review of 4 trials with 651 people, avocado-soybean unsaponifiables 300 mg a day cut osteoarthritis pain by 8.5 points on a 100-point scale. — 4 RCTs, 651 people with osteoarthritis, 3 to 12 months (n = 651) Evidence A source
  Pain -8.5 points (95% CI 1 to 16) on 0-100 VAS, NNTB 8; function SMD -0.42 (-0.73 to -0.11); adverse events RR 1.04 (0.97-1.12)
• A meta-analysis of 69 trials found avocado-soybean unsaponifiables lowered osteoarthritis pain only by an amount of unclear clinical importance. — 69 RCTs of 20 oral supplements vs placebo in hand, hip or knee osteoarthritis (n = 69 trials) Evidence A source
  ASU: statistically significant pain improvement, clinical importance unclear; no long-term benefit for any supplement
• A 2024 umbrella review of 48 reviews found moderate to very low certainty evidence that oils rich in unsaturated fats, such as canola and virgin olive oil, lower total and LDL cholesterol. — adults in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of vegetable oil intake (n = 48 studies (206 meta-analyses)) Evidence A source
  MUFA- and PUFA-rich oils reduce TC and LDL; coconut and palm oil raise TC and LDL (low to very low certainty)
• A 2021 review of 108 systematic reviews graded avocados as causing moderate to large LDL reductions with moderate certainty. — adults in RCT-based systematic reviews of foods and LDL cholesterol (n = 108 systematic reviews) Evidence A source
  Avocados: moderate to large LDL reduction (moderate evidence); foods high in unsaturated, low in saturated fat such as rapeseed/canola oil: at least moderate (7.7 to 15 mg/dL (0.20 to 0.40 mmol/L)) reduction (high evidence)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A safety meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials found avocado-soybean unsaponifiables did not raise the odds of any type of adverse event. — randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials of slow-acting osteoarthritis drugs Evidence A source
  ASU: no increased odds of any adverse event type vs placebo
• An NMR analysis of commercial and lab-made avocado oils found three products sold as avocado oil clustered with soybean oil, indicating adulteration. — commercial and lab-made avocado oil samples compared with olive, canola, high-oleic and soybean oils Evidence D source
  3 products labeled avocado oil matched soybean oil; high-oleic sunflower and safflower oils flagged as likely adulterants

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU authorizes the claim that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats such as oleic acid helps maintain normal blood cholesterol, but no authorized claim names avocado oil. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  Authorized claim for oleic acid replacing saturated fat

Who this works differently for

• Over 3 years in 399 people with hip osteoarthritis, avocado-soybean unsaponifiables 300 mg a day did not slow average joint space loss but cut progressors from 50% to 40%. — 399 adults with symptomatic hip osteoarthritis, mean age 62, 3 years (n = 399) Evidence B source
  JSW loss -0.638 vs -0.672 mm (p=0.72); progressors 40% vs 50% (p=0.040); no clinical difference
• A 2015 systematic review found that replacing saturated fats with high-oleic oils lowered LDL by about 11%. — controlled clinical trials substituting oils with at least 70% oleic acid for at least 3 weeks Evidence A source
  Vs saturated fats: TC -8.0%, LDL -10.9%, apoB -7.9%; vs trans fats: LDL -9.2%; vs n-6 PUFA oils: mostly no change in TC, LDL or HDL

What is still unknown

• A national Australian survey of avocado and heart risk left avocado oil out, so fruit findings cannot be carried over to the oil. — 2,736 Australian adults, Australian Health Survey 2011-2013 (n = 2736) Evidence C source
  Avocado oil excluded from exposure definition
• A 2018 network meta-analysis of 54 randomized trials found liquid plant oils such as olive, rapeseed and sunflower lowered LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) compared with butter. — randomized trials of at least 3 weeks comparing oils and solid fats (n = 54 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -16 to -8.9 mg/dL (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/L) vs butter for safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm and coconut oil and beef fat; avocado oil not among the oils compared
• In a 5-week crossover feeding trial in 45 overweight adults, one avocado a day lowered LDL by 13.5 mg/dL, more than a diet using high-oleic oils matched to the avocado's fat (8.3 mg/dL). — overweight or obese adults with LDL-C in the 25th to 90th percentile (n = 45) Evidence B source
  LDL-C from baseline: avocado diet -13.5 mg/dL, moderate-fat high-oleic oil diet -8.3 mg/dL, lower-fat diet -7.4 mg/dL (avocado vs others P<0.05); only the avocado diet cut LDL particle number (-80.1 nmol/L)
• A 2016 meta-analysis of 10 trials with 229 people found avocado-enriched diets lowered LDL by 16.5 mg/dL. — participants of randomized trials of avocado-enriched diets (n = 229) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -16.50 mg/dL (95% CI -22.91 to -10.10; I2 72.5%); TC -18.80 mg/dL; TG -27.20 mg/dL; HDL -0.18 mg/dL (NS)
• A 2018 meta-analysis of 18 studies with 481 people found avocado raised HDL by 2.84 mg/dL but did not change total or LDL cholesterol compared with control diets. — participants of studies on avocado intake and CVD risk factors (n = 481) Evidence A source
  HDL +2.84 mg/dL (95% CI 0.18 to 5.49); no significant difference in TC, LDL, TG or body weight; no studies of clinical CVD events
• A 2026 systematic review of 17 trials with 66,337 people on cutting saturated fat found data on replacing it with monounsaturated fat were limited. — adults with or without cardiovascular disease in RCTs reducing or modifying saturated fat (n = 66337) Evidence A source
  All-cause mortality RR 0.96 (0.88 to 1.06); nonfatal MI RR 0.86 (0.70 to 1.06); clearer benefit when replaced by polyunsaturated fat (nonfatal MI RR 0.75); MUFA replacement data limited

The bottom line

What the oil does have is a fat profile. One USDA record lists 100 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 11.56 g saturated, and an industry supported review gives 71 percent monounsaturated, 13 percent polyunsaturated and 16 percent saturated. The two saturated figures do not match, and neither comes with a spread across samples. The one useful kitchen finding is about absorption. In a crossover study in 11 healthy adults, adding 24 g of avocado oil to a salad raised the uptake of alpha carotene, beta carotene and lutein about as much as 5.3 oz (150 g) of avocado did, and the avocado raised beta carotene 15.3 times over the salad without avocado. The paper does not say whether the order was randomized. We found no study of what heating or frying does to this oil. Who should be careful. The only safety evidence here is for the supplement extract, where a meta-analysis of placebo controlled trials found no higher odds of any type of side effect, and in those trials people could also take other osteoarthritis drugs. We have no study on allergy, pregnancy, children or drug interactions with the culinary oil, so this page cannot tell you it is safe or unsafe for any of them.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. avoi-r6-06 · narrative review
   The avocado oil consists of 71% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and 16% saturated fatty acids (SFA)
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
2. avoi-r6-07 · reference dataset
   SR Legacy FDC 173573 Oil, avocado: Total lipid (fat) 100 g/100 g · Fatty acids, total saturated 11.56 g/100 g · Zinc 0 mg/100 g
   USDA SR Legacy 2018, FDC 173573 Oil, avocado · checked 2026-09-29
3. avoi-r6-01 · crossover feeding study
   In Study 2, supplementing 150 g avocado or 24 g avocado oil to salad similarly enhanced alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein absorption (P < 0.01), resulting in 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times the mean AUC after intake of avocado-free salad, respectively (150 g avocado). Neither the avocado dose nor the lipid source affected carotenoid absorption.
   Unlu NZ et al., J Nutr 2005;135(3):431-436 · checked 2026-09-29
4. avoi-r6-02 · meta-analysis
   Moderate-quality evidence from four studies (651 participants) indicated that ASU 300 mg produced a small and clinically questionable improvement in symptoms, and probably no increased adverse events compared to placebo after three to 12 months treatment. Mean pain with placebo was 40.5 points on a VAS 0 to 100 scale (0 is no pain), ASU 300 mg reduced pain by a mean of 8.5 points (95% CI 1 to 16 points); NNTB 8.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
5. avoi-r6-03 · meta-analysis
   Another six (undenatured type II collagen, avocado soybean unsaponifiables, methylsulfonylmethane, diacerein, glucosamine and chondroitin) revealed statistically significant improvements on pain, but were of unclear clinical importance.
   Br J Sports Med, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
6. ev-aochol-03 · umbrella review
   Moderate to very low certainty evidence showed that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as canola oil, virgin olive oil, and rice bran oil are beneficial in reducing serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations.
   Adv Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07
7. ev-aochol-07 · umbrella review
   With moderate evidence, avocados and turmeric caused moderate to large reductions.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07
8. avoi-r6-05 · meta-analysis
   Glucosamine sulfate (GS), chondroitin sulfate (CS) and avocado soybean unsaponifiables (ASU; Piascledine®) were not associated with increased odds for any type of AEs compared with placebo.
   Drugs Aging, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
9. ev-aochol-09 · laboratory study
   Interestingly, NMR detected the adulteration in three products labeled as avocado oils, which were clustering together with soybean oil, confirming previous findings [13].
   Molecules, 2021, Analysis and Authentication of Avocado Oil Using High Resolution NMR Spectroscopy · checked 2026-10-07
10. ev-aochol-10 · EU health claim register entry
    POL-HC-6430 Oleic acid Replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Oleic acid is an unsaturated fat. Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6430, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-07
11. avoi-r6-04 · randomized controlled trial
    There was no significant difference on mean JSW loss (-0.638 mm vs -0.672 mm, p=0.72, in the ASU-E and placebo groups, respectively) but there were 20% less progressors in the ASU-E than in the placebo group (40% vs 50%, respectively, p=0.040). No difference was observed on clinical outcomes.
    Ann Rheum Dis, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
12. ev-aochol-02 · systematic review
    Studies that replaced saturated fats or oils with HO oils showed significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (apoB) (P < 0.05; mean percentage of change: -8.0%, -10.9%, -7.9%, respectively), whereas most showed no changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), the ratio of TC to HDL cholesterol (TC:HDL cholesterol), and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1).
    Adv Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07
13. avoi-r6-08 · cross-sectional study
    Day 1 24-hour recall data was used to examine reported avocado intake (whole avocados and avocado-containing products excluding avocado oil) and cardiometabolic risk measures
    Nutr J, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
14. ev-aochol-01 · network meta-analysis
    Safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, and coconut oil as well beef fat were more effective in reducing LDL-C (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/l) as compared with butter.
    J Lipid Res, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07
15. ev-aochol-04 · RCT
    Compared with baseline, the reduction in LDL-C and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol on the AV diet (-13.5 mg/dL, -14.6 mg/dL) was greater (P<0.05) than the MF (-8.3 mg/dL, -8.7 mg/dL) and LF (-7.4 mg/dL, -4.8 mg/dL) diets.
    J Am Heart Assoc, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07
16. ev-aochol-05 · meta-analysis
    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 2026-10-07
17. ev-aochol-06 · meta-analysis
    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 2026-10-07
18. ev-aochol-08 · systematic review
    Data were limited on the replacement of saturated fat with monounsaturated fat or protein.
    Ann Intern Med, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07