Avocado oil - similar to olive oil as an ingredient in menu items, as a culinary cooking oil, and as an ingredient in topical skin and hair remedies - provides a healthy, beneficial balance of Omega-9, 6 and 3 fats and the antioxidant Vitamin E. Avocado oil has been shown in studies to effectively lower bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins, or LDL), thus negating a portion of the risk factors for coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and skin or hair disorders.

Of other food oils - such as olive, peanut, corn, canola, wheat germ and even almonds - avocado oil feeds the most monounsaturated fats (the good kind) and the least saturated fats (the bad kind) to consumers. The polyunsaturated fats of the Omega variety, which reduce LDL cholesterol in the same manner as monounsaturated fats, are supplied in an optimal ratio for heart-healthy humans.

Avocado oil, which is cold pressed during manufacture, supplies less acid and oxidation and more Vitamin E; this further improves the ratio of all healthy, nutritional substances provided by this fruit. Cold- pressed avocado oil is the highest quality avocado oil on the market, and it is pressed from the actual flesh of the fruit, not the avocado pit. And yes, avocados are considered a fruit, not a vegetable, due to the existence of seeds or pits.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant substance which has been shown in studies as a factor in decreasing risk for heart disease, as well as providing nourishing seeds to promote healthy, properly moisturized skin. The skin is the largest organ of the human body; it reflects the general overall health on the inside of the body. As such, nutrition experts generally agree that a diet high in skin-nutritious elements, such as Vitamin E, fosters a way to prevent or even cure skin maladies.

Vitamin E has also been shown to prevent cancer in widely published studies, due to its antioxidant properties. Free radicals, which are unstable molecules, can cause cancer in humans. This damage, on the cellular level, can be prevented by the Vitamin E found in avocado oil.

Care, however, should be taken when purchasing avocado oil due to its natural disposition toward oxidation. Oxidation in foods is the process whereby the once-beneficial chemical structure of the food changes when exposed to oxygen in the air; this process is destructive in that it depletes the nutritional value of foods. Avocado oil should be purchased in dark bottles and stored in dark cabinets to prevent oxidation.

As a cooking oil, avocado oil has an extremely high smoke point, between 450 degrees to 520 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke point is a scale used to measure the point at which flavor and nutrition begin to decline when frying foods. While expensive, avocado oil is considered an excellent, healthy choice for this type of use in the kitchen.

Other uses for avocado oil include placement in lotions and skin-care creams to moisturize the skin topically. Avocado oil has proven its regenerative qualities in cosmetics for human skin and even hair follicles time and time again.