
Avocado Fat Fights Leukemia
A recent study has found that a drug could be produced from the fruit and that Avocado fat fights Leukemia cells. The scientists hope to synthesize the beneficial fruit molecules.
Acute myeloid leukemia is a type of cancer of the myeloid blood cells.
The fat molecules in the Avocado fruit can help in fighting the formation of cancer cells by affecting the stem cells that form them.
AML starts in the stem cells of the bone marrow, and spread through the body system through the bloodstream. The bone marrow is where the new blood cells are produced so if the new drug could prevent the formation of abnormal ones , some types of leukemia could be prevented or treated.
“Avocation B” as the avocado fruit fat is named, can be used to treat this rare disease for with now there are very few drugs or treatments. If successfully tested the new drug could increase the quality of life and other issues that patients experience.
AML which is a rare form of leukemia causes death in 90 percent of the patients that suffer from it.
Stopping the process through which the bone marrow creates cancerous cells instead of normal health ones would increase life expectancy and further studies focused on drug development could find a definite cure for the horrendous disease.
The Study was published on Monday in the journal Cancer Research. Professor Spagnuolo in affiliation with the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in Toronto has filed for patent approval, that will allow him to use avocatin B to treat AML.
Professor Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo has begun preparations for Phase I clinical trials, but the drug will take years to be developed properly and approved for use.
Avocado, is a popular fruit, with a mushy content, and rich in antioxidants, that is used in many food dishes especially in the South American and Spanish cuisine.
The Avocado fruit is rich in fiber and as such used for certain body building diets. It also contains more potassium than bananas and has monounsaturated acids which are helpful in fighting Cardiac Disease (CVD).
Image Source: bravoforpaleo.com