Avocados have been found to have plenty of health benefits
An avocado may be the answer to looking young and keeping healthy according to scentists.
Recent research has found that the oil from the fruit has anti-ageing properties and is similar to that of olive oil.
Fat pressed from the fruit could also be used as a potent weapon against conditions such as heart disease and cancer, according to the research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in San Diego, California, US.
"Our results are promising because they indicate avocado consumption could improve the health status of diabetic and other patients," explains lead researcher Christopher Cortes-Roji.
"In some Mediterranean countries, low or almost no appearance of these kinds of diseases has been associated with the high olive oil consumption."
The research conducted in Mexico, the world's largest avocado producer, has now demonstrated its power to combat destructive rogue oxygen molecules. These unstable "free radicals" wreak havoc in the body, triggering chain reactions that destroy cell membranes, proteins and even DNA.
"Olive oil has a fat composition similar to that in avocado oil, which could eventually be referred to as the olive oil of the Americas," says Mr Cortes-Rojo.
"We’ll need to confirm that what has been observed in yeasts could occur in higher organisms, such as humans."