The acai berry is found in the Amazon forest and is promoted as having very powerful antioxidant properties. The berry is purple colored and small and comes from a palm tree known by the Brazilians as "the tree of life." The predominant beneficial substances are polyphenols, flavonoids, mostly of the anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins categories. The antioxidants in acai berry are easily absorbed into the bloodstream and raise levels of antioxidant activity quite quickly.

Historical uses of the acai berry fruit
Acai has been a traditional food for several centuries of the native people living in the Amazon forest. However it was only a few years ago, about the year 2000, that the acai berry was introduced to the Western market.

Acai Berry Extract supplement product 500 mg, 90 capsules
This acai berry supplement is for those who do not wish to consume the extra calories from acai juice or drink.

Click here to buy this Acai extract product, mangosteen, FREE Diet Rx appetite suppressant, goji berry, pomegranate, to see a list of hundreds of high quality products, or to sign up to a very popular and FREE supplement newsletter

Acai berry benefit
Apparently the dark purple skin of the acai berry has many times the anthocyanin content as red wine. The antioxidants in acai may benefit some health conditions but research in humans is quite limited. Acai berry also has plant sterols, essential fatty acids, and fiber. Human research is required before learning the potential benefit in medical conditions or prevention of health problems. There is not evidence at this time that the use of this product will help you lose weight.
   Acai berry, in vitro, has a very high antioxidant capacity, especially for scavenging superoxide and peroxyl molecules. Compound in acai have also been found to have cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibitor activity.

Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month you will receive an email with a brief abstract of several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D. We will mention research updates on acai berry supplement when published. You may also consider other healthy herbs and supplements with high antioxidant potential, including Curcumin extract from turmeric, Goji berry extract, Pomegranate fruit and Olive-Leaf-Extract.

 

Acai berry as antioxidant
Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers.
J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10; Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J, Jilma-Stohlawetz P, Pacheco-Palencia LA, Meibohm B, Talcott ST, Derendorf H. Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
The acai berry is the fruit of the acai palm and is traditionally consumed in Brazil but has gained popularity abroad as a food and functional ingredient, yet little information exists on its health effect in humans. This study was performed as an acute four-way crossover clinical trial with acai pulp and clarified acai juice compared to applesauce and a non-antioxidant beverage as controls. Healthy volunteers were dosed at 7 mL/kg of body weight after a washout phase and overnight fast, and plasma was repeatedly sampled over 12 h and urine over 24 h after consumption. Plasma antioxidant capacity was significantly increased by the acai pulp and applesauce. Individual increases in plasma antioxidant capacity of up to 2.3- and 3-fold for acai juice and pulp, respectively were observed. The antioxidant capacity in urine, generation of reactive oxygen species, and uric acid concentrations in plasma were not significantly altered by the treatments. Results demonstrate the absorption and antioxidant effects of anthocyanins in acai in plasma in an acute human consumption trial.

Acai benefit as vasodilator
Polyphenols in acai berry have the ability to act as vasodilators, which means they can dilate blood vessels. This means acai berry extract could benefit in conditions where blood vessel dilation is needed.

Endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Acai) extracts in mesenteric vascular bed of the rat.
Vascul Pharmacol. 2006 Sep 1; Department of Pharmacology and Psychobiology, IBRAG, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) a fruit from the Amazon region, largely consumed in Brazil is rich in polyphenols. Experiments were undertaken to determine whether hydro-alcoholic extract obtained from acai induces a vasodilator effect in the rat mesenteric vascular bed precontracted with norepinephrine and, if so, to elucidate the underlying mechanism. The present study demonstrates that the vasodilator effect of acai extract is dependent on activation of nitric oxide -cGMP pathway and may also involve endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor release. The vasodilator effect suggest a possibility to use acai berry extract as a medicinal plant, in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Weight loss
Q. Does the acai berry supplement aid in weight loss, as i have seen an advertisement in a magazine, which quoted celebrities were using acai berry to help with weight loss is this correct. Your response would be much appreciated.
   A. I have not seen any human studies regarding acai berry use and weight loss. I doubt if this fruit or extract will help people lose weight.

Acai berry supplement availability
Acai is sold as capsules, and can be placed in smoothies or made into bars. You will also find acai berry made into acai juice. Acai pulp is also useful. Acai fruit juice and acai berry juice.

Review and summary
Human studies with acai fruit or acai extract are lacking, therefore no firm statements can be made regarding the clinical uses of this plant. However, eating acai berry or taking an acai berry supplement as part of a healthy diet seems to be a reasonable approach. An acai berry extract supplement can be taken once or twice a week with breakfast.

Acai berry supplement side effects
As of 2008, no major acai berry side effects have been reported in the medical literature.

Q. Is an acai berry supplement product safe for people with high blood pressure or kidney kidney disease?
   A. Human studies are not available to determine whether acai berry supplements are safe in those with medical conditions. Thus far it appears that acai supplements are safe, but this opinion is based on our feedback from users as opposed to scientific studies.

Acai Berry nutrient composition
Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of the Freeze-Dried Amazonian Palm Berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart. ( Acai ).
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-8603. 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, Agriculture Research Service, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1120 Marshall Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, Brunswick Laboratories, 6 Thatcher Lane, Wareham, Massachusetts 02571, Integrated Biomolecule Corporation, 2005 E. Innovation Park Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85755, Food Science and Technology Program, Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore, and Flora Research, 32158 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, California 92675.
A standardized freeze-dried acai fruit pulp / skin powder was used for all analyses and tests. Among many findings, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and other flavonoids were found to be the major phytochemicals. Two anthocyanins, cyandin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside were found to be predominant; three others were also found as minor anthocyanins. The total content of anthocyanins was measured as 3.1 mg/g dry weight. Polymers were found to be the major proanthocyanidins. The concentration of total proanthocyanidins was calculated as 13 mg/g dry weight Other flavonoids, namely, homoorientin, orientin, isovitexin, scoparin, and taxifolin deoxyhexose, along with several unknown flavonoids, were also detected. Resveratrol was found but at a very low concentration. In addition, components including fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, minerals, and other nutrients were analyzed and quantified. Total polyunsaturated fatty acid, total monounsaturated fatty acid, and total saturated fatty acids contributed to 11%, 60%, and 28% of total fatty acid. Oleic acid (53%) and palmitic acid (26%) were found to be the two dominant fatty acids. Nineteen amino acids were found; the total amino acid content was determined to be 7% of total weight. The total sterols accounted for 0.048% by weight of powder. The three sterols B-sitosterol, campesterol, and sigmasterol were identified.

Acai Tree
Euterpe oleraceae is a large palm tree indigenous to the Amazon River and its tributaries and estuaries in South America. Its fruit, known as acai, is of great economic value to native people.

Acai Berry research studies
Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. ( Acai ) fruits.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64.
The antioxidant capacities of 11 commercial and non-commercial samples of Euterpe oleracea Mart. ( acai ) fruit pulp were studied with the total oxidant scavenging capacity assay in a modified and automated version against three reactive oxygen species. The antioxidant capacities of all purple acai samples were found to be excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite and poor against hydroxyl radicals compared with common European fruit and vegetable juices recently analysed. In all cases the correlation between sample concentration and antioxidant capacities was non-linear. The antioxidant capacities against all three reactive oxygen species of the fruit pulp from one white acai variety were very low. The phenolic compounds in purple acai fruit pulp were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the two major anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside, were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-visible spectrometry. The contributions of the anthocyanins to the overall antioxidant capacities of the fruit were estimated to be only approximately 10%. Obviously, compounds not yet identified are responsible for the major part of the antioxidant capacities of the acai fruit pulp.

Phytochemical composition and pigment stability of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.).
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Mar 24;52(6):1539-45. Del Pozo-Insfran D, Brenes CH, Talcott ST.
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110370, Gainesville, Florida
Anthocyanin and polyphenolic compounds present in acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) were determined and their respective contribution to the overall antioxidant capacity established. Color stability of acai anthocyanins against hydrogen peroxide (0 and 30 mmol/L) over a range of temperatures (10-30 degrees C) was also determined and compared to common anthocyanin sources. Additionally, stability in a model beverage system was evaluated in the presence of ascorbic acid and naturally occurring polyphenolic cofactors. Cyanidin 3-glucoside (1040 mg/L) was the predominant anthocyanin in acai and correlated to antioxidant content, while 16 other polyphenolics were detected from 4 to 212 mg/L. Red grape anthocyanins were most stable in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, while acai and pigments rich in acylated anthocyanins displayed lower color stability in a temperature-dependent manner. In the presence of ascorbic acid, acylated anthocyanin sources generally had increased color stability. Acai was recognized for its functional properties for use in food and nutraceutical products.

Acai Questions and Acai Information
Q. Hello, thank you so much for your website that is very resourceful... and it feels like you really want to help and educate and not only sell, sell, sell. Which fruit juice is more powerful with regards to overall health benefit and it's antioxident level, the mangosteen or the Acai Berry. The orac scores indicate that 1 gram of Acai berry is 3800 orac value and the Mangosteen is 17,000 orac value, but I do not know what amount of Mangosteen they used to come up with that value. Do you know which fruit contains higher antioxident level?
   A. Although people seem to focus on ORAC values, there are many other substances in herbs and plants that have beneficial effects. I prefer alternating the use of different herbs and not to rely on just one. For instance, one can have several different good herbal supplements, and each day take a different one. Some of the ones that come to mind include acai berry, cocoa, curcumin, goji berry, graviola, green tea extract, mangosteen, and pomegranate. This way benefits from the various herbs can be taken advantage of and the body is exposed to a variety of helpful substances without overdosing.

Q. Is your acai product organic?
   A. As much as possible we try to obtain our acai raw material from the best sources possible, but we cannot guarantee that every batch of acai product growing and manufacturing is organic.

Q. What are acai health benefits?
   A. Acai has many antioxidants and can be helpful in medical conditions where antioxidants are useful.

Q. Can I add acai to a puree or smoothie I am making with other fruits?
   A. Yes, you can open an acai capsule and add the acai powder to make a puree or acai smoothie with other fruits.
Q. Is acai juice safe?
   A. As long as acai juice is used in reasonable amounts, we don't see why an acai drink would not be safe. Acai should not have side effects unless used in excessive amounts.
Q. Is your acai supplement the same berry Oprah had mentioned on her show?
   A. Yes, it is the same acai berry fruit she had mentioned. Acai plant comes from many different plantations in the Amazon forest, particularly Brazil.

Q. My son must drug test at times for his job. Will acai show up in the drug test in any way?
   A. We can't imagine any substances in acai berry would cause a positive drug test.

Q. Does acai benefit skin tone?
   A. We have not seen such acai research regarding influence on skin.
Q. Just a question about juices. From what I have read there are numerous benefits to taking Acai juice, Mangosteen, Noni, & Goji juices. I'd love to take all of them all the time but that gets kind of expensive. What 2 or 3 of those are the best ones?
   A. I would suggest alternating their use, and after one bottle is finished, go on to another one. There is not way of predicting which one will be best for your particular needs, and it is better to have variety. Another option is to take small amounts of acai berry supplement or other supplements and alternate their use. By using the acai supplement, you save yourself lots of calories.
Q. Does an acai product aid in weight loss?
   A. We have not seen any human studies with acai berry and weight loss.

Q. Does Acai berry juice or Mona Vie Acai juice thin the blood?
   A. MonaVie Acai juice and MonaVie Active Acai juice are both juices that are new to the market. MonaVie Acai juice is a blend of several fruit juices. As far as acai fruit is concerned, it does have flavonoids which are known to thin the blood, however no clinical human studies could be identified evaluating the role of acai berry and coagulation. Since MonaVie acai juice is a blend of several juices, it is difficult to say its role in blood thinning.

Q. What are acai side affects? Am trying acai berry and am constipated and bloated.
   A. This is the first report we have had on potential acai berry side effects. Perhaps it is the acai berry or it could be coincidence and related to something else.

Q. I was reading your site and saw a question on constipation. A person indicated they had constipation since starting the acai berry. I had the exact opposite affect. I had pretty consistent constipation leading to hemorrhoids. But after being on an acia berry product my stools became consistently soft ending constipation and hemorrhoids. So perhaps that person should see what else they changed when they started the acai berry. It's hard to believe a fruit would cause constipation isn't it?

Q. I'm looking for acai berry truth. Does acai do what all the websites selling acai berry product claim?
   A. Since human research with acai berry is lacking, no firm statements can be made regarding acai berry truth.

Q. Is it true acai berry on Oprah was mentioned?
   A. Yes, Oprah mentioned acai berry on her show.

Q. What is the ORAC value of acai? I have been told that acai has high ORAC value.
   A. The acai orac value can vary significantly from crop to crop and method of harvesting, storage, encapsulation, etc. But acai does have a high orac value and it is not too important for practical health reasons to know exactly what the orac value is for a fruit, vegetable, herb, or supplement. Measurements of oxygen radical absorbance capacity ORAC on freeze-dried acai pulp and skin powders have been done for each of four reactive oxygen species (ROS) - superoxide, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radical and peroxyl radical for both hydrophilic- and lipid-soluble species. The assay for superoxide, considered perhaps the most representative determination of antioxidant capacity (as it is involved in formation of other ROS and circulates systemically in blood), revealed a value of 161,400 units per 100 g, the highest result yet found for superoxide radical among plant foods. Total ORAC (against peroxyl radical) determined from both hydrophilic and lipophilic sources was 102,700 units per 100 g, again the highest value found to date among edible fruits and vegetables for this radical. Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Huang D, Owens J, Agarwal A, Jensen GS, Hart AN, Shanbrom E. Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;.

Q. Your web site says acai berry is a vasodilator that it dilates blood vessels but all other sites say the opposite. Are you sure about this? I have lupus so i don't want something that dilates blood vessels.
   A. There is one study that says the compounds in acai berry act as vasodilators. We have no other studies to prove or disprove this. However, it is premature to be concerned about acai berry and lupus based only on vasodilation. Many compounds such as polyphenols have anti-inflammatory activity and we don't know the infuence of acai berry on the symptoms of lupus until studies are done.

Q. What are the effects of acai berry on the hemoglobin?
   A. I have not come across research regarding its influence on hemoglobin. As a general rule, the influence of an herb or supplement on various aspects of human physiology and biochemistry depends largely on the dose or amount use.

Q. What is the recommended acai dosage do you suggest? I have ordered the acia berry extract 500 mg. How often should acai supplement be taken?
   A. There is no answer that applies to everyone. Much depends on a person's medical condition, what medications they are using, what other supplements they are taking, etc. As a general rule, one capsule of acai berry supplement a few times a week seems reasonable for most people.

Q. How many capsules per day is the recommended dosage for acai extract supplements?
   A. There are no official guidelines on the proper dosage of acai extract capsules. Hardly any human studies have been done with acai berry, juice or capsules. As a general rule, taking one acai extract capsule a day seems reasonable.

Q.  I recently purchased acai berry supplement pills and was wondering if it'll be harmful to take it with colon cleanse? Some sites I have seen suggest that weight loss can be achieved in this way. If it is safe, will any colon cleanse do?
   A. Acai berry supplements are safe and we have not had any reports of any significant side effects from the use of this product. There are many herbal products on the market that claim to have " colon cleanse " properties and it is not possible to determine the interactions since each product could have different effects depending on the ingredients and potency of the herbal formulation. I am not aware of any studies that have shown acai berry supplement use to lead to weight loss.