The Surprising Health Benefits of Avocado Seeds
While most people enjoy the flesh of the avocado and discard the pit, the seed itself contains an impressive range of health-promoting compounds. Emerging research suggests that avocado seeds may even play a role in combating certain cancers.
Avocado Seeds and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer affecting the bone marrow and blood. In AML, immature myeloid cells accumulate rapidly, crowding out healthy blood cells and impairing normal function. If left untreated, AML can spread quickly throughout the body.
Risk factors include older age, smoking, chemical exposure, radiation, and a prior history of cancer. Symptoms often include fatigue, frequent infections, bleeding disorders, bone pain, and shortness of breath.
Breakthrough Research on Avocado Pit Compounds
A groundbreaking study published in Cancer Research in 2015 identified a compound in avocado pits called avocatin B. Researchers from Canada and Italy found that avocatin B selectively killed AML cancer cells while leaving healthy blood cells largely unaffected—something conventional chemotherapy struggles to achieve.
In laboratory and animal studies, avocatin B prevented leukemia cells from growing in bone marrow without causing significant harm to normal cells. This discovery opened the door to the development of a potential new cancer treatment with fewer side effects.
