Even though avocado oil looks healthy, it has enough bad fat in it to break down easily when heated.
Scientific Claim
Avocado oil contains 13–15% polyunsaturated fatty acids, rendering it susceptible to thermal oxidation despite a high monounsaturated fat content.
Original Statement
“Avocado oil is about 70% monounsaturated fat. Now, this is a moderately stable fat, but it still contains a relatively significant amount of polyunsaturated fat, roughly 13 to 15%. This is the type of fat that's most vulnerable to oxidization and heat damage.”
Context Details
Domain
food-chemistry
Population
in_vitro
Subject
avocado oil
Action
contains
Target
13–15% polyunsaturated fatty acids, rendering it susceptible to thermal oxidation
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Thermal Behavior Improvement of Fortified Commercial Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) Oil with Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) Leaf Extracts
Avocado oil has a lot of healthy fats, but it also has some fats that break down easily when heated—and this study proves it, showing those fats caused the oil to go bad faster unless protected by natural antioxidants.
Contradicting (1)
Quality parameters during deep frying of avocado oil and extra-virgin olive oil
Even though avocado oil has some polyunsaturated fats that can break down when heated, the study found it holds up just as well as olive oil during frying—so it’s not as easily ruined by heat as the claim suggests.