Know2eat

Avocado

Persea americana

Also known as Alligator pear, Hass avocado

SaveCompare

A large single-seeded berry with dense, oily flesh, unusual among fruits for being mostly fat rather than carbohydrate. It ripens only after picking, which is why fruit is harvested hard.

Heart HealthEye HealthWeight ManagementSkin Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Research suggests that substituting avocado for saturated fat in the diet is associated with modest reductions in total and LDL cholesterol. Most trials are short, many are industry-funded, and the effect looks like what would be expected from any monounsaturated fat substitution.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Macular health

Eye Health
Limited evidence

Avocado supplies lutein in a fat matrix that favours absorption, and a small number of trials report increases in macular pigment optical density. The trials are few and the clinical meaning of that measure over a short period is uncertain.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Some trials report greater fullness and lower desire to eat after meals containing avocado. Whether that carries through to lower total energy intake over a day is much less consistently shown.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Skin structure and hydration

Skin Health
Insufficient evidence

Avocado is heavily marketed for skin elasticity and hydration. Human research on eating it and any measured skin outcome is minimal, and what exists is small and not independently repeated.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Avocado

Ask about Avocado

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories160 kcal8%
Protein2 g4%
Total fat14.7 g19%
Carbohydrate8.53 g3%
Fibre6.7 g24%
Total sugars0.66 g—
Water73.2 g—
Fats
Saturated fat2.13 g11%
Monounsaturated fat9.8 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.82 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.111 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)1.67 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A7 µg1%
Vitamin C10 mg11%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E2.07 mg14%
Vitamin K21 µg18%
Thiamin (B1)0.067 mg6%
Riboflavin (B2)0.13 mg10%
Niacin (B3)1.74 mg11%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.39 mg28%
Vitamin B60.257 mg15%
Folate81 µg20%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline14.2 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium12 mg1%
Iron0.55 mg3%
Magnesium29 mg7%
Phosphorus52 mg4%
Potassium485 mg10%
Sodium7 mg0%
Zinc0.64 mg6%
Copper0.19 mg21%
Manganese0.142 mg6%
Selenium0.4 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene62 µg—
Alpha-carotene24 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin271 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.58 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171705).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • with foodIncreases carotenoid absorption from the rest of the meal

    Adding avocado to a salad or salsa markedly increases absorption of carotenoids from the other vegetables in the meal, because its fat is needed to carry them across the gut wall.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Latex-fruit syndrome

    Avocado is one of the foods most consistently linked to natural rubber latex allergy through shared chitinase proteins, and reactions in latex-allergic people can extend beyond the mouth.

  • Interaction

    Reports of reduced warfarin effect

    Case reports describe a fall in INR in people on warfarin who ate large amounts of avocado. The evidence is thin and the mechanism unsettled, but a sudden large change in intake is worth mentioning to whoever manages the anticoagulation.

  • Too much

    FODMAP content at larger servings

    Avocado contains sorbitol and the related polyol perseitol. Around a quarter to a half of a fruit is usually tolerated on a low-FODMAP plan, while a whole one commonly provokes symptoms.

  • Too much

    Energy density

    Avocado is one of the most energy-dense whole plant foods. That is not a problem in itself, but it is easy to underestimate the calories in a whole fruit if overall intake matters to you.