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Acai BerriesWhat are they? Acai Benefit, Acai Side EffectsThroughout the swamps and flood plains of Central and South America from Belize to Brazil and Peru, you can find the Acai Palm. For years it has been the source of "hearts of palm", but is now grown mainly for the deep purple acai berries it produces. The acai berry, pronounced "ah-sigh-ee", has been found to be high in anthocyanins and flavonoids, both powerful antioxidants. It is similar to it's relatives, the blueberry, cranberry and other dark purple fruits. Acai berries can range in color from deep purple to black. There is also a variety which is white, but it does not appear to have the antioxidant power of the purple ones. Acai berries are eaten raw
locally and are described as being similar to cherries or blueberries with
a hint of chocolate flavor on top. Unfortunately, the acai
berry does not stay fresh for very long so most are processed into a
juice, pills and powder. You can find the acai mixed with other fruit
juices, in ice cream, jellies, syrups and even in cosmetics. When looking for an acai berry product to buy, you
want to look into how the acai berries are processed. The best choice is a product
made up of freeze-dried berries. The pulp and skin are dehydrated at low
temperatures when ripe and then quick frozen. From there, they are ground
into a powder. Spray-dried berries are
processed with high heats and an additive, such as maltodextrine,
used to assist in the drying of the acai so it can be powdered. (2) The
heat destroys many of the natural beneficial nutrients of the fresh acai
berries. Acai extracts are also
available, but they are also heat treated in the process and are said to
have the least amount of effective nutrients. Extracts may
also only be a part of the whole fruit rather than the skin and
pulp, so you might not be getting all the benefits. Different products also have a varying amount of acai in them. You want to research the different products before you decide on which one works for you.
You want to look at:Acai ResearchUsing a standardized freeze dried
acai fruit pulp/skin powder, researchers(1) found that the acai powder
contained anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and other flavonoids, and a
small amount of resveratrol.
The same study found that the acai berry powder also contained fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, minerals, and other nutrients. A group of researchers in 2008 compared the antioxidant potency of commonly consumed polyphenol-rich beverages in the US. (3) They did four tests for antioxidant potency, including the antioxidant capacity; the oxygen radical absorption capacity ( ORAC value); free radical scavenging capacity; and ferric reducing antioxidant power. They also tested the antioxidant functionality in inhibiting LDL oxidation and evaluated the total polyphenol content of each beverage. As a result of their findings, they were able to classify the antioxidant capacity in the following order, starting with the highest first.
Another study in 2008 using commercial acai pulp, (4) summarized their research as follows: "The açaí fruit can be considered a fair source of vitamin C and good source of natural antioxidants. In regard to the correlation with the antioxidant activity only the total anthocyanins and the total carotenoids presented positive and significant correlation. Acai BenefitsAcai Berries have been described by many different Acai product producers as having a whole list of benefits from
However,according to the American Dietetic Association regarding acai berries,(5)"Studies from Texas and the University of Florida have shown people absorb the antioxidants contained in the berry, but no human studies have yet found special health benefits from consuming acai." Another study completed in 2008 at the University of California,(6) stated that there was "An overwhelming body of research has now firmly established that the dietary intake of berry fruits has a positive and profound impact on human health, performance, and disease." It listed fruit and berries commonly used in the United States.
Acai Side EffectsResearch & ResourcesSearch under Acai Berries, Acai, Acai Berry 1. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-603. Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart.(acai).Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Patel D, Huang D, Kababick JP. Natural and Medicinal Products Research, AIMBR Life Sciences, 4117 South Meridian, Puyallup, Washington 98373, USA. alex@aibmr.com 2. http://www.powersupplements.com/acai/acai-research.html 3. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb 27;56(4):1415-22. Epub 2008 Jan 26. Comparison of antioxidant potency of commonly consumed polyphenol-rich beverages in the United States. Seeram NP, Aviram M, Zhang Y, Henning SM, Feng L, Dreher M, Heber D. Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. 4. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2008 Jun;58(2):187-92. [Correlation between antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart) comercial pulps [Article in Portuguese] Santos GM, Maia GA, Sousa PH, Costa JM, Figueiredo RW, Prado GM. Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brasil. 5. http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=10726&terms=acai American Diatetic Association 6.J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb 13;56(3):627-9. Epub 2008 Jan 23. Berry fruits: compositional elements, biochemical activities, and the impact of their intake on human health, performance, and disease. Seeram NP. Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. nseeram@mail.uri.edu 
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The Acai Palm
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