Acai Research: What can this little berry do?

Acai Research: What can this little berry do?

What kind of scientific research on Acai has been done to date? Ever since the Acai berry has been introduced to the north American market, it has been called a "Miracle fruit". Featured on mainstream media such as: The wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC News, NBC Today Show, CBS Early Show and a few more, but what do we really know of the health benefits of the Acai berry, drinks and capsules? Let's look at a few examples of the available data on Acai research.

Acai Berry destroys cancer cells in lab

Early in january of 2006, the University of Florida published a report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that demonstrated that Acai extract caused a self-destruct response in up to 86% of leukemia cells tested.

Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor at UF, cautioned that the study, which was funded by UF, was only a cell-culture model and that the results were not intended to show that Acai berries could prevent leukemia in people.

The results, although only a model, have promising implication as to the effectiveness of the antioxidants contained in the Acai berry. The university has funded for more Acai research to examine the effect of the Acai extract on humans.

Acai Berry antioxidants absorbed by human body

Recently, in October 2008, the Texas A&M University published a report that showed that Acai antioxidants were indeed being absorbed by the human body.

12 healthy participants were asked to ingest a single portion of either Acai juice or ACai pulp in a clinical study. Their blood and urine were then analyzed at 12 and 24 hours after intake. The results showed a significant increase in antioxidant activity in the blood after both intervals.

This important discovery demonstrates that the beneficial properties of Acai are in fact being absorbed by the body and are able to act in a way to improve health.

Acai research is an ongoing study and will surely demonstrate that the Acai berry in indeed very beneficial to humans. The most notable health benefits attributed to Acai are: weight loss, increased energy and detoxification.