Acai supplements
The acai berry is a native Brazilian fruit that's being hailed as the newest superfood for maintaining good health and fighting disease. Also known as Euterpe oleracea Mart., acai berries are very fragile and must be processed under strictly controlled conditions in order to maintain antioxidant properties.
Acai powders, pills and drinks have been promoted by numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of The Perricone Promise and The Perricone Weightloss Diet. Little is known about the fruit, as it's estimated that that there are 50 to 70 unidentified constituents that may help fight disease or fight the effects of aging. Let's take a look at what the research shows so far.
Leukemia cells die when they meet acai berries
The University of Florida's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition recently published the results of laboratory tests showing extracts of acai could "reduce [HL-60 human leukemia] cell proliferation" by up to 86%. The anthocyanin and polyphenol extracts caused apoptosis (cell death).
The acai berry is filled with antioxidants that scavenge free radicals, which can cause disease. I'll keep you posted if any additional research is available on this fruit.
If you'd like to try an acai supplement to see if can help you recover from your medical problems, take a look at some of the products I've researched. Except as noted, none of the products are advertised as wild-harvested or organic. Prices are whatever I found on the web page and are subject to change.
Perricone's Super Berry Powder with Acai
Besides acai berries, this also includes extracts from raspberries, bilberries, blueberries, pomegranates, cherries, blackberries and cranberries. All these fruits and other berries have been shown to be high in antioxidants, ellagic acid, anthocyanins, polyphenols and other phyto-nutrients. $50 for a month's supply.
MonaVie juice
MonaVie comes in a wine bottle and is made from the juices of acai berry, pomegranate, white grape and purple grapes, nashi, acerola, pear, aronia, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry and wolfberry. (Ingredients differ between the printed literature and website.) This formulation has a number of fruits in common with Dr. Perricone's product. Again, all these fruits are potent antioxidants. You can buy four bottles for $95 by clicking on the Amazon link below.
Acai Powerscoop
This powder contains guarana in addition to acai berries, which are wild-harvested and organic. They've used the entire fruit, not just an extract. A whole fruit powder can be more potent than just an extract because there's a synergistic effect that makes the whole more powerful than the parts. Instead of just getting the anthocyanins, you'll also be getting essential fatty acids and amino acids. Get a 16-oz. container by clicking on the link below.
Acai Berry Extract
This is available through VitaCost (link at left). Nutraceutical Sciences Institute makes this potent product, which is an extract of the acai berry. Two capsules deliver 1,000mg of acai berry extract. A month's supply (60 capsules) is only $7.44.
Best Acai by Doctor's Best
Available from iHerb (link listed at left), this is a freeze-dried product that contains only the ripe fruit (some other products listed here used the entire plant, not just the fruit). This is by far the most economical acai product I've found. A bottle of 120 capsules costs $11.50. If you take two a day, that's a two-month supply. According to literature from MonaVie (mentioned above), the freeze-dried acai berry has a very high ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) level compared to a select group of other dried fruits and vegetables. That means freeze-drying doesn't significantly impair its antioxidant qualities.
Additional sources:
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1222-9
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64
* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.
"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates
Acai powders, pills and drinks have been promoted by numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of The Perricone Promise and The Perricone Weightloss Diet. Little is known about the fruit, as it's estimated that that there are 50 to 70 unidentified constituents that may help fight disease or fight the effects of aging. Let's take a look at what the research shows so far.
Leukemia cells die when they meet acai berries
The University of Florida's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition recently published the results of laboratory tests showing extracts of acai could "reduce [HL-60 human leukemia] cell proliferation" by up to 86%. The anthocyanin and polyphenol extracts caused apoptosis (cell death).
The acai berry is filled with antioxidants that scavenge free radicals, which can cause disease. I'll keep you posted if any additional research is available on this fruit.
If you'd like to try an acai supplement to see if can help you recover from your medical problems, take a look at some of the products I've researched. Except as noted, none of the products are advertised as wild-harvested or organic. Prices are whatever I found on the web page and are subject to change.
Perricone's Super Berry Powder with Acai
Besides acai berries, this also includes extracts from raspberries, bilberries, blueberries, pomegranates, cherries, blackberries and cranberries. All these fruits and other berries have been shown to be high in antioxidants, ellagic acid, anthocyanins, polyphenols and other phyto-nutrients. $50 for a month's supply.
MonaVie juice
MonaVie comes in a wine bottle and is made from the juices of acai berry, pomegranate, white grape and purple grapes, nashi, acerola, pear, aronia, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry and wolfberry. (Ingredients differ between the printed literature and website.) This formulation has a number of fruits in common with Dr. Perricone's product. Again, all these fruits are potent antioxidants. You can buy four bottles for $95 by clicking on the Amazon link below.
Acai Powerscoop
This powder contains guarana in addition to acai berries, which are wild-harvested and organic. They've used the entire fruit, not just an extract. A whole fruit powder can be more potent than just an extract because there's a synergistic effect that makes the whole more powerful than the parts. Instead of just getting the anthocyanins, you'll also be getting essential fatty acids and amino acids. Get a 16-oz. container by clicking on the link below.
Acai Berry Extract
This is available through VitaCost (link at left). Nutraceutical Sciences Institute makes this potent product, which is an extract of the acai berry. Two capsules deliver 1,000mg of acai berry extract. A month's supply (60 capsules) is only $7.44.
Best Acai by Doctor's Best
Available from iHerb (link listed at left), this is a freeze-dried product that contains only the ripe fruit (some other products listed here used the entire plant, not just the fruit). This is by far the most economical acai product I've found. A bottle of 120 capsules costs $11.50. If you take two a day, that's a two-month supply. According to literature from MonaVie (mentioned above), the freeze-dried acai berry has a very high ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) level compared to a select group of other dried fruits and vegetables. That means freeze-drying doesn't significantly impair its antioxidant qualities.
Additional sources:
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1222-9
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates
posted by Edith Gaylord | 7:30 AM
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