Acai - Why the Acai Berry From Brazil is Considered a Miracle Antioxidant

Acai Berry Research

The acai berry, pronounced "ah-sah-EE," comes from the acai palm in Central and South America, particularly in Brazil. The berry is tiny, smaller than a grape, a deep purple in color, and over 90% seed. Despite the low pulp content per berry, acaiis known as one of the healthiest foods in the world. It made the top of anti-aging expert Dr. Nicholas Perricone's list of superfoods in his book "The Perricone Promise" whose review on the Oprah TV show launched acai into the national spotlight. It contains many antioxidants, amino acids, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. On top of that, acai tastes absolutely delicious. People have compared the taste to, "somewhere between chocolate and red wine," so, you really can not beat that. Ongoing research has come to some surprising, positive conclusions about the effects of this little berry on a number of health conditions and diseases.

Acai as an Antioxidant

The most talked-about benefit has stemmed from research into acai antioxidant levels. Antioxidants are the way the body fights free radicals, or unstable oxygen molecules in the body. Too many free radicals can damage cell walls, organelles, and even DNA. Scientists have postulated that free radicals cause aging, due to the steady decline in DNA quality because of the damage they cause. In addition to the free radical aging theory, scientists have discovered links between free radicals and various age-related degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, senility and dementia.

Antioxidant research, thus, has been at the forefront of a lot of medical study in recent years. Degenerative diseases like these comprise a huge portion of deaths in the U.S. and if antioxidants can be proven beyond a doubt to help treat them, it would be a major victory for medicine.

Coming back to acai, it just so happens that these little berries contain the highest antioxidant levels per 100 gram serving than any other fruit. Foods are measured for their antioxidant levels on the ORAC scale: raspberries have a score of 1,240, strawberries score 1,520, blueberries rate 2,300, and acai berries contain an astounding 5,500 micromoles of antioxidant per 100 grams. Thus, acai has been shown to help with degenerative aging diseases and processes ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's.

Anthocyanins

In addition to its general antioxidant properties, studies have shown acai to hold a large amount of anthocyanins, long believed to be the integral part of the "French Paradox": namely, why are the French able to eat lots of butter but not suffer from heart disease. The key is believed to lie with the anthocyanins in red wine, which may serve to clear clogged arteries. Acai berries contain over thirty times the number of anthocyanins in red wine, which leads to perhaps thirty times the heart health.

On top of all this, acai is simply very healthy. With a high incidence of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E, over eight grams of protein per serving, as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc, acai juice or pulp can be a part of a balanced, healthy diet even if you are not suffering from any of the above-mentioned conditions. While acai may not be the "miracle berry" many people have talked about, evidence about its health benefits is clear. Whether you need to use acai as a supplement or you just want to include an incredibly healthy, delicious fruit in your diet, definitely check out acai.

Acai is generally not available outside of Central and South America in berry form, but freeze-dried acai pulp and special juices have become a staple of health food stores. It is also available as a concentrated supplement, but you have to be careful. Some manufacturers include the seed in their a?acai production, which has not been shown to have any of the fruit's benefits, but which makes up almost 90% of the berry's mass. Read the labels, and make sure you are not getting scammed!

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