ChrisMiller - BIS102 - A2D1.

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To Guac or Not to Guac

America is in love with avocados. In the past 15 years, consumption has

quadrupled. When news came out that Chipotle might suspend sales of guacamole due to
the weather, people went crazy (1). However, the rise of this so-called superfood is not
completely unwarranted. As it turns out, avocados are not just a health fad; they are
actually very beneficial for your health.
The avocado is a unique type of fruit. Most fruits consist primarily of
carbohydrates, while avocados are actually packed with nutrients. Among those nutrients
are monounsaturated fatty acids, or fatty acids with one single double bond in the fatty
acid chain. The majority of the fat in avocados comes from oleic acid (2). The term
oleic means related to, or derived from olive oil, which is mostly composed of oleic
acid. Oleic acid is also one of the most common fats in human breast milk. As we know
from lecture, triglycerides are composed of a glycerol and three fatty acid chains.
Avocados are high in triglycerides of oleic acid. Diets high in oleic acid have numerous
beneficial effects. They have been shown to reduce blood pressure and increase brain
plasticity (3). This is incredible, but in order to understand how, we must take a look at
the biochemical significance of oleic acid.
Different lipids are essential for different functions from membrane structure, cell
signaling, and neuronal protection. Oleic acid is involved in all of these tasks. Brains are
mostly made up of fat, and the myelin sheath in neurons is 70 percent fat. Oleic acid is a
major fatty acid in brain myelin lipids and is rapidly deposited during myelination (4).
Oleic acid helps maintain proper myelin repair, and thus maintains brain signaling and

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function. The decrease in blood pressure caused by oleic acid is due to increases in oleic
acid levels in membranes, this altered membrane lipid structure changes the level of G
protein-mediated signaling. Adrenergic receptors are critical in control of blood pressure.
These are G protein-coupled receptors that regulate the fight or flight response. Oleic
acids can modify the biophysical properties of the membrane, which induces a change in
the docking ability of G protein to adrenergic receptors, leading to reduced blood
pressure (5).
There are many different ways consume oleic acid, but one of the most enjoyable
ways is to eat an avocado. So the next time you consider not paying that extra $1.80 for
guacamole at chipotle, go ahead and treat yourself. The high oleic acid content may help
improve your brain function and prevent a whole host of diseases.

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Sources

1. "The Rise of the Avocado, Americas New Favorite Fruit." Washington Post. The
Washington Post, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
2. "12 Proven Benefits of Avocado (No. 5 Is Very Impressive)." RSS 20. N.p., 16
Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
3.

Fluegel, Susan M. "Oleic Acid." MooScience. N.p., n.d. Web.

4. Rioux, F. M. "Oleic Acid (18:1) in Plasma, Liver and Brain Myelin Lipid of
Piglets Fed from Birth with Formulas Differing in 18:1 Content." NIH. N.p., 8
July 1992. Web.
5. Ters, S. et al. Oleic Acid Content Is Responsible for the Reduction in Blood
Pressure Induced by Olive Oil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
of the United States of America 105.37 (2008): 1381113816. PMC. Web. 9 Mar.
2016.