Avocados May Help Fight Leukemia
Avocados May Help Fight Leukemia – According to a Canadian study, avocado contains a lipid that can fight acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Canadian professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo, says a lipid found in avocados, called avocatin B, can target leukemia stem cells and destroys them without damaging healthy cells. In AML, the cancerous abnormal stem cells proliferate and drive away the healthy cells in the bone marrow, and can cause infections that can be fatal. The stem cell is the driver of the disease and the reason why the cancer comes back in many AML patients, so specifically targeting and eliminating these stem cells would be an effective way to fight this form of blood cancer.
Currently, there are very few treatments that target leukemia stem cells. According to the American Cancer Society, acute myeloid leukemia may kill over 10,000 patients this year. The disease spreads rapidly and affects a group of white blood cells called the myeloid cells, damaging the DNA of developing blood cells in the bone marrow. Early signs and symptoms of the disease are similar to flu and include fever, bone pain, fatigue, easy bruising, and unusual bleeding. Risk factors for developing this form of leukemia include radiation, exposure to certain chemicals and some chemotherapy drugs.
Spagnuolo is conducting experiments to prepare the drug for a phase I clinical trial, where people diagnosed with AML could have access to the drug. The study was published in the journal, Cancer Research.
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