Diet Systems

One of the newly discovered berry “stars” of antioxidant plants is the acai (“ah-sigh-ee”) palm berry (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) that comes from the tropical regions of Central and South America.

The genus is named after the muse Euterpe of Greek mythology and the major plant family is Arecaceae. The vernacular name is sometimes called Assai Palm.

Acai is well-known in the exotic functional food industry as a rich tasting, darkly pigmented (deep blue-purple) fruit whose delicious juice is either consumed from bottles or combined with yogurt and other health foods to create smoothies.

Where do acai palms grow and what are the characteristics of the berries?

According to Wikipedia, acai is a genus of 25-30 palm species native to tropical Central and South America, from Belize to Brazil and Peru. It grows mainly along rivers, in floodplains and swamps. They are tall, slender, attractive palms that grow 15-30 m tall, with pinnate leaves up to 3 m long. The fruit is a small, round, black-purple berry similar in size to a grape. They are produced in branched clusters of 700-900 fruits that must be picked by hand. Though its appearance is similar to that of a grape, the acai has a smaller amount of pulp and a single large seed about 7–10 mm in diameter.

What is it about the acai that has caught the attention of consumers?

Besides its deep blue color and delectable taste (hinting of chocolate), the preliminary analysis of nutrient content shows acai as one of the tropic’s most nutritious fruits and certainly an exceptional source of antioxidant pigments.

What nutrients stand out in the acai berry?

Although the data has not been published or independently verified, the early research on acai shows it is rich in vitamins A, B and C, minerals (particularly iron and calcium), dietary fiber and proteins. It also contains an omega-3 fatty acid, a beta-sitosterol (a phytosterol that inhibits cholesterol formation in humans) and essential amino acids. Oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid found in virgin olive oil, is especially rich in the acai.

What about the antioxidant strength of acai?

A manufacturer of acai products states on its website that acai has three times the antioxidant strength of blueberries and eight times that of strawberries. The likely source of such unusual antioxidant power would come from the dark blue pigments found in acai berry skin – the large class of flavonoids called anthocyanins and particularly from two (cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside), which are the main pigments isolated from acai.

What does medical research say about the health properties of acai?

As a relatively new discovery, acai has appeared in the online database of the US National Library of Medicine—PubMed—only since 2004. Since then, just five reports are listed (June 2006).

Three studies analyzed the antioxidant properties of acai, showing its powerful effects against specific oxidizing agents like peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite. One interesting finding was that the total antioxidant capacity of acai could be accounted in just 10% of the identified anthocyanins. This finding indicates that acai is loaded with other, yet unidentified, antioxidant phytochemicals.

In 2006, a study performed at the University of Florida showed that acai antioxidants could induce more rapid death (apoptosis) of leukemia cells in vitro. This preliminary research indicates a possible anti-cancer effect of anthocyanins and other pigments, as shown for North American dark berries like the blueberry and black raspberry.

With research beginning to show remarkable benefits of acai, why not introduce this tasty berry into your diet?

Reading

* US National Library of Medicine, PubMed, http://pubmed.gov

* Acai Products, Sambazon, http://www.sambazon.com/acai.asp?pg=13

* Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acai

Copyright 2006 Berry Health Inc.

Did you know? Biologically, there are two ways for every cell in your body to die. There is a good way and a bad way. The good way is called: Apoptosis and the bad way is called Necrosis.

Apoptosis is the way you want it to happen. Apoptosis is the process whereby an ageing cell signals a white blood cell to come and destroy it thoroughly. The result of this is that there is no left over part of the cell that can do damage to other cells.

Necrosis on the other hand is when the dying off of a cell happens unassisted by a white blood cell. The cell breaks off and becomes a free radical. The electrons from this dying cell fall off into other cells creating havoc and causing everything we know as aging, including non-genetic diseases.

Antioxidants and its affect on aging

The result is that the body ages, cancer can develop, hear disases, arthritis, tumours, high blood pressure etc. So theoretically if you stop the process from taking place in your body then you stop the aging process. The only defences we have had so far against necrosis are the antioxidants that appear in nature. These antioxidants are natural compounds that soak up the extra cell parts or free radicals left over from Necrosis, resulting in slower aging and less illness. These antioxidants however have up to now been found only in small concentrations in most foods until the discovery of the Acai Berry.

The first Acai Berry tests

Dr Alexander Shauss, one of the worlds foremost Nutrition Scientists drinks several servings of Acai juice on a daily basis. Dr Alexander Shauss was the first person to run ORAC Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) assay on Acai and he was so surprised by the results that he asked a few other well known nutritional scientists to do tests on properties of this the berry. The tests found that the Acai berry was the most concentrated source of antioxidants by far!

Are all Acai Berry Products made equal?

Unfortunately the Acai berry is also very fragile, and once picked, it rapidly loses its antioxidant qualities in as little as 24 hours after having been picked, which makes it extremely difficult to find it in fresh form any place other than the Amazon. This has given rise to many fraudsters trying to sell people a product that was not the real thing and therefore would not have the same extreme qualities of the real Acai Berry.

The Acai Berry and Cancer

Since the discovery of the Acai Berry was not too long ago, there have not been too many trials done on it yet. However, a group of scientists at the University of Florida did some tests on it by putting some Acai Berry extracts into a petri dish that was filled with leukemia cancer cells.

The extract from the berry triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86% of the cancer cells. More studies are being done at the moment and it has already been said that a possible cure for cancer with Acai Berry looks very promising. If the berry extract could stop the necrosis, it would be able to prevent and destroy cancer.

This is just one of the many studies that are going on at the moment. In the future there could be possible cures for heart disease by preventing necrosis of the heart cells with the Acai Berry extract, and it could possibly also prevent and destroy Alzheimers Disease.

Acai Berry consumption prevents bad cholesterol

However, antioxidants are not the only amazing property of the Acai Berry. It contains plant sterols that can keep cholesterol from being digested which is good news for high cholesterol sufferers. The list goes on and on. The berry’s low glycemic index improves glucose and lipid levels which again, stops necrosis, and prevents and destroys diabetes.

Acai helps restore stomach health and repair ulcers

The berry is also high in fiber, which aids in digestion while allowing the antioxidants to heal the digestive tract. Ulcers which are caused by bacteria can be prevented and destroyed. The antibacterial properties of the berry destroys bacterial infection and rebuild the intestines with its antioxidant properties.

Acai consumption relieves Astma

It even offers relief to Astma sufferers with the high vitamin c content that is present in the berry, resulting in fewer asthma attacks.

Acai Berry products can keep you young

Even aging can be slowed down by eating high amounts of this berry as the high content of antioxidants will result in preventing necrosis in the body. Almost all non-genetic diseases can be prevented or cured by the use of the Acai Berry. It helps to greatly boost the immune system and thereby preventing possible diseases from taking hold in the body. This is only made possible by the super concentration of antioxidants found in the Acai Berry.

In the Amazon Forest of Brazil where the natives are eating 3 servings a day of this berry, they look very young and they have none of the health problems that plague that average human being. No cancer, no heart disease, no strokes, even wrinkles appear less! Dr Shaus is by no means the only doctor that highly endorses the use of the Acai Berry, there are many other doctors that realise its potential to heal disease.

The market is crowded with energy drinks and other beverages these days. The makers of these products will claim that they can boost your metabolism and make it easier for you to lose weight. However, if you’re informed about the energy drinks market, you probably already know about Ephedra, as well as the fact that it has been banned in the U.S. market because of the adverse health effects it can have on some users.

It raises a good question; can you really be sure that the energy drinks out there are as safe as they claim to be? There are better alternatives, such as one safe and all natural drink which has been used in China for centuries now.

There has been extensive research on this beverage, conducted in Asia, Europe and the US, all of which has indicated that this is a truly safe, all natural drink which is effective at helping your body burn off excess energy and lose fat. There is also the established fact that this beverage contains a wealth of antioxidant compounds which can protect your body against disease and slow down some of the physical effects of aging.

So what is this beverage, anyway? It’s Wu Yi tea, which is grown, harvested and processed at Wu Yi Mountain in Fujian province, China. Wu Yi tea is a type of oolong tea and has long been a staple for the Chinese – the tea is believed to be partially responsible for the high level of physical health and fitness enjoyed by the Chinese people.

Due to the fermentation process it undergoes, Wu Yi tea is rich in polyphenols. These compounds actually increase the metabolic rate, meaning that your body will burn stored fat much more efficiently. These Polyphenols work by promoting lipolysis, which means that your body will us its own enzymes to break down the fat stored in your body in a way which is totally safe and very effective.

The research done on Wu Yi tea has also shown that daily consumption of the tea can lower your odds of developing some cancers, improve heart and respiratory function and even promote stronger bones and teeth! It also helps to regulate your cholesterol levels; is there any other weight loss drink on the market which can do any, let alone all of these things?

Just two cups of Wu Yi tea daily will provide the fat-burning benefits of the tea. Drinking more than this will help you to reap the other health benefits of this tea. Wu Yi is not only effective and healthy, but is safe for anyone to drink, regardless of age, *** or general health. There are no side effects of drinking the tea and the amount of caffeine is minimal, having no negative health effects. In fact, drinking Wu Yi tea is just as safe as drinking water – but even healthier, thanks to its many health-giving properties.