Avocados Have A HUGE Health Benefit

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a bone marrow cancer where the blood stem cells turn into mature blood cells. Avocados have a compound called avocatin B. What do these things have in common? Well, according to science, the avocatin B in avocados might help fight leukemia. Research from Professor Paul Spagnuolo of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, shows that avocatin B can target leukemia stem cells while leaving healthy blood cells untouched. The research was published Monday in Cancer Research, a top-ten oncology publication — and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's glad to have another excuse to eat more avocados.

"It’s an exciting time for our lab. With the help of CCRM (Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine) we are now pursuing commercial partnership that would take avocatin B into clinical trials,” said Spagnuolo in the report. “Not only does avocatin B eliminate the source of AML, but its targeted, selective effects make it less toxic to the body, too.” The drug is still years away from becoming approved for oncology use, but experiments are currently being performed to prepare the drug for a Phase I clinical trial. These are preliminary trials where those diagnosed with AML could have access to the drug.

OK, so maybe straight avocados aren't the active ingredient here — it's the compound itself — but I still feel justified using it as an even greater defense for why I went into Wegmans for aluminum foil and came out six hours later with 10 bags or groceries, a mortgage payment, a family phone plan, and an avocado peeler. To be honest, it's defended itself in the fact that I've used it more times since I bought it than I've had meals to put avocados in. Seriously — it's that useful.

Besides fighting cancer, here are other ways avocados rock my socks:

1. Potassium

Avocados are higher in potassium than bananas... and high potassium intake is linked to reduced blood pressure.

2. Good Fat

Avocados are a very fatty food. BUT this includes monounsaturated oleic acid which reduced inflammation and help with diabetes risks.

3. Fiber

Avocados are super high in fiber. This is awesome in regards to healthy eating and your metabolism.

4. Lower Cholesterol

Avocados can lower high cholesterol — and with heart disease being the most common cause of death in the world, that's excellent news indeed.

5. They're Delicious

You can put them on anything or just eat them by themselves. Avocados FTW.

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