Healthy Fats In Avocados Could Help Fight Leukemia, Study Shows

Avocados are fruits known for their healthy fat content and for being delicious on toast. Now, the healthy fats that they contain, called avocation B, have been found to fight acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the journal Cancer Research.

The study, led by Paul Spagnuolo, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, found that the fat found in avocado targets and weakens leukemia cells. "The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease," Spagnuolo said in a statement released with the study.

While the leukemia cells were targeted by the fats, the study showed that the normal blood cells remained healthy.

AML is a cancer in the bone marrow that affects platelets and red and white blood cells. There is no medication containing avocatin B as of yet.

Avocados have also been proven to help prevent Alzheimer's disease and prostate and breast cancers. The health benefits in avocados are fruitful (pun intended); they contain nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.