July 2, 2015 Wiggy Saunders

An Exciting Discovery About Avocado’s Ability to Fight Cancer

There’s plenty of reason to love avocados.

First, they’re one of the only fruits to contain fat; healthy monounsaturated fats which are absolutely necessary for superior health.

Secondly, they’re loaded with a wide variety of nutrients. Rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and even more, the avocado is an amazing and well&balanced food.

And, as it turns out, will a molecule contained inside the luxurious fat of the avocado might even be able to help fight cancer.

Researchers have discovered Avocatin B, a molecule derived from the fat of the avocado, might be able to actively fight a deadly blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Dr. Paul Spagnuolo who was the lead author of the research concerning Avocation B said, ”We’ve performed many rounds of testing to determine how this new drug works at a molecular level and confirmed that it targets stem cells selectively, leaving healthy cells unharmed,”

AML is a particularly deadly form of cancer that mainly affects the elderly. It presents itself when underdeveloped white blood cells multiply at an abnormal rate in the bone marrow and in the blood. According to the University of Rochester, AML has an extremely high rate of mortality, with nearly 75% of those who develop AML dying as a result.

Which is, of course, why this research is so promising.

“It’s an exciting time for our lab. With the help of [the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM)], we are now pursuing commercial partnership that would take avocatin B into clinical trials.” Spagnuolo said in a press release.

He and his team are excited about the potential to replace normal cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy with an Avocatin B regimen.

They theorize replacing existing treatments (which subject the body to intense pain and stress) with the Avocatin B treatment will allow the body to fight the cancer without succumbing to the damage associated with other treatments.

This research doesn’t prove eating enough avocados will help fight AML, only the molecule being extracted from the fat will do that.

However, there’s no good reason to say it wouldn’t hurt to eat include more avocado in your diet.