Could avocados crush cancer?

Everybody's favorite superfood just got a whole lot more super.

The fat in an avocado has the ability to combat blood cancer, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Research by Paul Spagnuolo, a professor at the University of Waterloo. Avocado fats attack acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells while leaving the body's healthy cells alone, which is key since so many patients relapse from the continued presence of leukemia stem cells in their bodies.

AML is a particularly ruthless cancer, in part because effective treatments are few and far between; the Washington Post writes that the disease is fatal within five years for 90 percent of patients older than 65.

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Just eating an avocado won't fight cancer, however; at this point, a drug based on the avocado fat that eradicates stem cells is still years away from hitting the market.