The ever changing world we live in with fast foods, less sleep and coffee addicts, it’s easy to forget just how important having a healthy body is. About five years ago researchers discovered a little berry from the rainforest regions of Brazil that appeared to have many health benefits. We are going to reveal to you some of many acai health facts and possible acai berry side effects that have been discovered by taking a deeper looking into this acai health wonder of the world.

The acai berry is a very delicate fruit requiring special attention when harvesting and processing so that it can be eaten. There isn’t much pulp (the actual edible fruit part) on the berry due to the large seed located inside the berry. The majority of acai that is consumed is in the form of powder, juice, wine or the more popular supplements. Some natives use the powder acai extract in the form of spice enhancing for entrees that are cooked while others simply mix it into shakes and various drinks.

Acai berries when compared to many other fruit doesn’t seem to be any different but a closer look into the berry reveals that acai health benefits associated with the fruit are many. One of the most noted health benefits of acai berries are their high levels of antioxidants. Acai berries are known to contain more antioxidants than any other fruit that we are currently aware of. You will also find a large portion of the necessary bodily vitamins and minerals all within the acai berry fruit.

If you would like to learn more about acai health benefits, check out some of our other resources such as our: Acai Berry Wikipedia, Acai Berry Research, Acai Berry Benefits and many other great articles that we have already published.

There are numerous acai berry benefits that have been proven and from what the experts are saying, probably many more to be discovered. Eating is a part of our daily lives but many of us over look the importance of healthy eating and a healthy diet. Some of the acai berry benefits we will talk about are going to reveal to you the true results of what meeting your daily recommended bodily nutrients can really do for you. So let us go ahead and begin our journey to discovering a healthier lifestyle.

The acai berry has recently been named one of the worlds’ leading Superfoods, with studies bringing in an enormous score on the antioxidant scale. This fruit and the nutrients buried deep inside are of no small size when it comes to a powerful punch of health. A few of the most prominent acai berry benefits discovered are those of the berries natural ability to stimulate the body to reduce and remove harmful toxins from within the body. Extending it a little bit further, we can see there are addition benefits of the acai berry once those harmful toxins are cleared out of the way. The body begins to feel better and because your skin has been receiving a much more potent supply of the necessary daily vitamins and minerals, it starts to look healthier. Some more acai berry benefits that have been known to improve your body and help make you feel healthier is the way it naturally strengthens your immune system from the high level of antioxidants contained within the acai berry. Because of your immune system being reinforced, your body begins to develop a better energy level and that stimulates your metabolism.

With the above acai berry benefits mentioned, there have been additional benefits evolving around the acai berry, some may or may not be direct results of the acai berry. However, as new studies are being performed on the acai berry, doctors, scientist and other health experts are noticing the vast nutritional benefits of the acai berry and highly recommend you add it to your daily diets. If you would like to learn more about the acai berry and what it can do for you, please read more of our articles listed below.

Welcome to AcaiBerryMD were we help reveal to you all of the health benefits and all things related to acai berries. The little acai berry just smaller than a grape in size has been vastly making an impact in the United States with its recent promotion to the Superfoods category. Let’s talk about where acai berries originate and their local communities. Way down deep in the heartlands of South America, back in the deep rainforests of northern Brazil, the locals call the acai tree, the “Tree of Life”. There could be many reasons they call it that but what are those reasons?

Acai berries have been a distinct part of the local communities and play a large part in their diets. Many use the acai berry extract as spices for foods, recipes and other forms of usage such as drinks. Around five years ago, studies started to be conducted on this little Amazon fruit called acai berries and what they began to discover where amazingly high levels of nutrients, antioxidants and other minerals. Some of the discoveries, like the antioxidant levels, are completely off the charts when compared to fruits like apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberry and almost any other fruit you can name.

Bring it to present time and how are we finding the acai berries to be included in American lives? Over the last few years we have slowly began to see the acai berry enter into stores in the form of juices, wines and vitamin supplements. Don’t be fooled by the many weight loss scams out there, the acai berries are not some miracle weight loss formula. Yet, it does provide amazing results and helps improve your body’s healthiness and can improve things like your energy levels and metabolisms which can result in the loss of extra weight. There are many other great help benefits to the acai berries, simply choose one of the related articles below to learn more about the acai berries.

It is known that health experts are strongly trying to encourage consumers to make eating fruit(like acai berries) and vegetables, a few times a day, a part of their diet to receive enough antioxidants(acai antioxidants). The biggest concern is many people do not understand or even know what antioxidants are and what their importance is to the human body. We are here to enlighten you by explaining exactly what antioxidants are, why you need them and most importantly a major fruit that is filled with them. So let’s begin by learning of what antioxidants (acai antioxidants) are.

What Are Antioxidants

We eat many common foods that contain antioxidants; foods that contain Vitamin C and E (acai antioxidants)are more common examples of the antioxidants we eat. Antioxidants are vitamins that have a mission to search and remove harmful particles and items that cause damage to our body cells which could lead to various diseases and illnesses if they were not removed. These free radicals are often used by our immune system to eliminate viruses and bacteria but can really cause negative effects if they weren’t controlled properly by antioxidants. Instead of letting these free radicals loose and roaming freely, the antioxidants keep these little guys in a controllable and confined state.

Why You Need Antioxidants

Aside from the above mentioned reasons of needing antioxidants, a study shows that dietary antioxidants are believed to be effective nutrients in the prevention of oxidative stress related diseases. Studies show that there is a strong positive result on the prevention of diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, inflammatory disease and age-related diseases. Antioxidants boost your immune system and help you feel healthier, more energetic and increase body functionality.

What is the Best Source of these Antioxidants

Although the acai berry fruit has only been available to countries outside of South America for the approximately the last 5 years, studies on this little berry have turned up quiet a stir. Research has revealed that the acai antioxidants levels in the acai fruit are through the roof and are the highest of all known fruits in the world. Acai fruit (acai extract, fresh fruit has a lower quantity) of 1027 micromoles versus cranberries at 95 micromoles and red grapes at 13 micromoles. So you see the significant difference in the acai berry over the other listed fruits. That is why the acai berry has been labeled as one of the worlds #1 Superfoods because of the high acai antioxidants.

Please look around our website for addition resources dedicated to the acai berry and the acai antioxidants research. And you can get a free trial of acai berry supplements just for being a reader. Experience acai berries for yourself!

(*Information and statistics from this article have been gather from “Acai (Euterpe oleracea) – An Extraordinary Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit” by Alexander G. Schauss, PhD, FACN – Copyright 2006)

What exactly does acai amazon mean? Some of you who have stumbled upon our website are either looking for the acai berry products on Amazon.com or are looking for more information of the acai fruit from the Amazon rainforest. Either way, you’re going to want to read this. I’m sure by now you’ve read many wonderful stories about the benefits of acai berries or how extraordinary this fruit is, if you haven’t this will fill you in on the details of what you have been missing.

For Those Looking to Buy Acai Amazon Website

Whether you’ve already become a regular acai berry consumer or are looking to buy your very first acai product, I wonder if you knew that acai berries are very unstable, meaning that they are a perishable fruit. It takes high quality care when processing the fruit to preserve it’s all natural nutritional benefits. What many stores or websites don’t tell you, is the large amount of acai berry nutrients you are missing out on by purchasing the acai berry juices, wines and smoothies. What happens after the acai berry has been harvested and processed, while in the development stages of making acai juice (for example), the acai berry extract is then mixed with an assortment of other juices that are more sweeter and two things result from the process of making acai juice. First, you lose many of the valuable nutrients and benefits of the acai berry because you are not consuming a high enough amount of the extract, it has been diluted by the various other ingredients, resulting in you needing to drink more servings of the juice to adequately accommodate the recommended amounts of acai amazon. Secondly, because of the lower quality or lower percentage of the actual acai berry extract you intake, you may still see and feel some of the benefits of the acai berry but you are missing out on possibly more positive effects of the acai berry. Not to mention the addition consumption of the sweeter juices mixed with the acai extract will take the healthy acai fruit and again dilute it’s healthiness with sweeter, more unhealthy juices. The most valuable way to consume acai berry, also one of the more affordable ways, is by using acai berry supplements.

For Those Looking to Learn About Acai Amazon

We have dedicated this entire website to the researching, discovering and to bring awareness to the public of the natural health benefits and life improving nutrients of the acai berry. If you would like to learn more you can visit our related links below to increase your knowledge of this wonderful little better. This acai amazon berry called acai berry is a small purplish fruit from the deep parts of the Amazon rainforest in South America. You can learn more below.

Acai products have proliferated greatly in the last few years, and many are now commercially available in health food stores and over the Internet. However, few are of high quality. Do not buy acai based on the lowest price, or you will surely be ripped off. The best quality acai currently available is certified organic acai juice or frozen fruit pulp.

Powders and capsules are also available, but because of the immense difficulty in processing acai, few of these are worth buying. If you do buy acai capsules or powder, be sure to look for organic certification to be certain it was harvested in a way that preserves its nutrients and integrity. Also be sure the product has been freeze-dried or otherwise carefully preserved. If a manufacturer has done these things, they will proudly announce it on the label. Any manufacturer or marketer of acai products should also willingly certify that their product has been tested and analyzed according to industry standards and is free of microbial contaminants. Ideally, they can also provide lot-specific anthocyanin content and/or ORAC scores on their product’s label.

The color and the smell of acai products are important indicators of whether their origin, processing, and quality are acceptable. Real acai fruit is dark purple, almost black, so any acai product you purchase should also be dark purple. If it’s light purple or lavender, it’s not high-quality acai, or may not be acai at all. Also, acai should have little or no odor. If it smells like sunflower seeds or walnuts that have been sitting around too long, then it’s rancid. Acai is rich in fatty acids, but they are quite susceptible to spoilage and rancidity, so pay careful attention to how acai products smell.

Once opened, use your acai immediately and store the remainder in the refrigerator. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat. If it starts to smell a bit off, it is almost certainly rancid (oxidized), which means it will have reduced — sometimes significantly — therapeutic value. Remember, acai is supposed to be an anti-oxidant.

The acai nutrition depends greatly on the freshness and quality of the acai and which form of the fruit was analyzed (frozen pulp, juice, powdered supplement, freeze-dried extract, etc.). Brazilian graduate students in agriculture and food science, under the guidance of their mentor, professor Herve Rogez (the world’s leading authority on acai), have done quite a bit of analytical work on the nutritional content of fresh acai fruit. A typical mature cluster of acai fruit weighs just under three and a half pounds and yields about fifteen ounces of juice. The fruit of acai is a rich source of anthocyanins, fiber, enzymes, vitamin E, amino acids, trace minerals, phytosterols, and beneficial fatty acids (twice the content of milk). Because of its complete nutritional profile, acai is considered an excellent energy source. Read more below to find other acai nutrition facts.

Anthocyanins in Acai

As discussed earlier, the main anthocyanins in acai are cyanidin-3-glucoside (C-3-G) and cyanidin-3-rutinoside. However, as many as sixteen other antioxidants known as polyphenols are present in acai fruit pulp. Most of these are probably anthocyanins, which are a type of polyphenol (the active antioxidant in green tea is also a polyphenol). Anthocyanin content was measured in sixty acai samples. The average content was 440 mg/kg of fruit, which means that around 1 percent of the dry matter in acai is made up of these powerful antioxidants. According to other research, acai typically contains 755 to 1,800 mg/kg of anthocyanins. These are very rich quantities oi anthocyanins. Some marketers have claimed that a9ai contains as much as 13,470 mg/kg of anthocyanins, but this figure actually applies to acai’s relative jucara (Euterpe edulis), which itself holds great promise as an antioxidant supplement.

Fatty Acids in Acai

Acai is a good energy source due to its high percentage of fatty acids; quantitatively the main component in acai. Total fats account for more than 50 percent of the dry weight of acai. Acai has an energy value comparable to whole cow’s milk. Acai is especially rich in heart-protective monounsaturated fatty acids. The oil extracted from acai is about 60 percent monounsaturated fat and 13 percent polyunsaturated fat, a composition similar to olive oil. This proportion of fatty acids is considered well-balanced and protective against cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease.

Vitamin E in Acai

One hundred grams (3.5 ounces) of acai juice provide about 7 mg of vitamin E. The pulp contains more than six times as much. This means that acai juice can easily satisfy the body’s requirement for vitamin E. Vitamin E works synergistically with anthocyanins in acai to combat free-radical damage, and to recycle the anthocyanins back to their active form so they can provide heightened antioxidant activity.

Fiber in Acai

Acai is an excellent source of fiber (on average, 25 percent of its dry weight). Fiber is the second largest group of compounds present in acai, after lipids. Fiber plays a critical role in regulating intestinal transit, as well as preventing colon cancer. The recommended daily intake (RDI) for total dietary fibers is 25 grams for adult women and 38 grams for adult men consuming 2,000 calories per day. Consumers of acai easily reach this amount, because 100 grams of acai pulp contains 30 to 35 grams of crude fiber.

Sugar in Acai

The sugar content of acai juice is naturally low, which is one of the reasons the fruit is so perishable. No significant sucrose or fructose is present. Glucose is present, but it only accounts for 1.5 to 6.7 percent of the juice. Most commercially sold acai drinks are sweetened with other juices, or with sugar.

Protein in Acai

Compared to other fruits, acai has a high protein content. One hundred grams of acai (dry weight) contain between 5.7 and 18.2 grams of protein. Assuming a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, this represents about 10 to 33 percent of the RDT for protein for adult men and 12 to 40 percent of the RDI for adult women. The variations in protein content from the published studies are significant and are probably due to the differences in certain palm trees’ ability to make more nitrogen compounds than others under the same growing conditions.

Minerals in Acai

Acai is rich in iron, providing between 1.5 and 5 mg per 3.5 ounces of fruit. Iron from plant sources is not as absorbable as iron from animal sources, and the iron content of acai is certainly not a significant enough source to affect anemia. However, it does represent a substantial portion of the RDI for adults (8 mg per day for men; 18 mg per day for women).

Other nutrients in acai include potassium, the most abundant mineral in acai fruit (990 mg/100 g), balanced with a relatively low amount of sodium (76 mg/100 g). Calcium is the second most abundant mineral in acai (133 to 286 mg/100 g). Magnesium found in fruits comes from the chlorophyll present before maturity. On average, acai is rich in magnesium, providing 178 mg/100 g. Phosphorus (147 mg/100 g), copper (1.4 mg/100 g—a high amount!), manganese, (32.3 mg/100 g), zinc (1.73 mg/100 g), and boron (1.58 mg/100 g) are also present. That will give you and idea of the many vast acai nutrition and nutritional benefits of the acai.

More on Anthocyanins

How well are anthocyanins absorbed? Early research suggests that absorption of anthocyanins may be low, but recent studies are more encouraging. In 2005, researchers sought to evaluate the bioavailability of anthocyanins (how much gets into the blood and tissues after it’s been ingested) and to find out what impact, if any, an anthocyanin-rich diet has on antioxidant levels in rats. While depriving the animals of vitamin E (an important antioxidant), but instead giving them bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), supplements rich in anthocyanins, the researchers observed significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity compared with animals fed a normal diet with no intervention. Although much of the anthocyanins were eliminated unchanged, they nevertheless exerted a positive effect on antioxidant capacity in the test animals.

Anthocyanin and Antioxidants

To predict how a substance will behave when ingested by humans, and to quantify the activity of anthocyanins and other naturally occurring antioxidants in the body, scientists have developed a number of laboratory tests and models. One method that is gaining in popularity was developed in the mid-1990s by scientists working at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. Known as oxygen-radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), this method uses an indicator protein, a powerful oxidant radical generator, and a control substance called Trolox (similar to vitamin E) to measure the ability of a test substance to absorb damaging oxygen radicals.

Early research from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) suggests that eating an abundance of high-ORAC fruits and vegetables may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain. High-ORAC fruits and vegetables raised the antioxidant power of human blood 10 to 25 percent, prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats, maintained the ability of brain cells in middle-aged rats to respond to chemical stimuli, and protected rats’ capillaries (tiny blood vessels) against oxidative damage.

According to the USDA, natural fruits typically score between 500 and 900 ORAC units per 100 grams (3.5 ounces). The FDA has recently suggested that Americans should increase their consumption of antioxidants to 7,000 ORAC units daily. It would require nearly twelve servings of ordinary fruit to achieve this level of protection. Unfortunately, most of the ORAC values of acai have been generated by industry, and not published in scientific journals. To make matters worse, inconsistency in units of measurement used to report the ORAC activity of acai has made comparisons between different products very challenging. The best information available suggests that high-quality acai might provide somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 ORAC units per 100 grams. These are exceptionally high ORAC scores, even when compared with other anthocyanin-containing compounds, indicating powerful free-radical- scavenging capacity.

The main benefit of consuming acai is its powerful antioxidant activity. To better understand how a powerful antioxidant can help preserve health and prevent disease, consider how much harm and suffering is caused by oxidation. In chemistry, free radicals are atoms that have unpaired electrons, which makes them highly reactive. In biological systems like the human body, this reactivity usually translates into damaging effects on the body’s cellular structures (for example, cell membranes and DNA). This oxidative damage caused by free radicals in the body has been associated with a staggering number of diseases and disease-promoting processes, notably cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Aging in mammals is the result of normal developmental and metabolic processes. Free-radical damage is also one of the major factors affecting how cells age, making it a major determining factor of how fast and how well (or how poorly) our bodies age. A significant amount of research data clearly demonstrates the causative role of free radicals in the aging process. Research also shows that specific antioxidants help the body resist spontaneous oxidation and combat oxidative damage to DNA, which in turn lengthens the life span of mammals. The incidence of age-related diseases and how long good health can be maintained is thus highly dependent on our total production and intake of antioxidants.

Centenarians typically represent the best example of successful aging. A 1998 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that centenarians had lower blood levels of lipid peroxides (oxidation products) and higher blood levels of antioxidants than did people aged seventy to ninety-nine. Thus centenarians’ lower degree of oxidative stress and higher antioxidant defense functioning were directly correlated to their longevity.

On the other hand, major causes of disability in elderly people— including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), Alzheimer’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis—are caused or accelerated on some level by free radicals and oxidation. Several diseases commonly seen among the elderly are associated with oxidative damage:

• Oxidation of LDL cholesterol is considered a primary disease-causing mechanism in the development of atherosclerosis.

• Oxidative damage to cells can trigger mutations and malignant growth leading to cancer.
• A considerable body of evidence suggests that oxidative stress causes inflammation and tissue damage, for example, in the respiratory system. The lung damage, and later immune damage, experienced by individuals with lowered cellular antioxidant capacity is thought to be a risk factor for asthma.
• Free-radical damage to lens proteins damages the eyes and contributes to the development of cataracts. If cataract development in the general population were delayed by ten years through the use of antioxidants, it is estimated that the number of cataract surgeries in the United States would be reduced by half.
• Increased lipid peroxidation (a marker of oxidative stress) has been found in the blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
• Diabetes is known to involve oxidative stress in several different ways. Among patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus there is a significant inverse correlation between levels of glycated hemoglobin (a major risk factor for diabetes) and total free-radical scavenging activity; oxidative damage may also promote non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Oxidative damage is also known to contribute to several of the major complications of diabetes, such  as  retinopathy, nephropathy, and atherosclerosis.
• Antioxidant levels are significantly depressed in fibromyalgia patients.
• There is solid evidence that Alzheimer’s dementia is associated with oxidative stress.
• High levels of the byproducts of oxidation products have been found to be elevated in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of people with multiple sclerosis.
• Oxidative stress is a pivotal problem in chronic pancreatitis. Antioxidant therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective medical alternative to surgery for painful chronic pancreatitis.
• Oxidative stress appears to play a role in the tissue damage of active ulcerative colitis, and it has been suggested that a defect in antioxidant defenses is a causative factor in the disease.
• Abnormalities of antioxidant function and depletion of the body’s antioxidant reserves have been shown to contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
• Many drugs cause or accelerate the formation of toxic free radicals, which are thought to be responsible for a large number of adverse drug reactions, as well as adverse interactions between drugs.
• Skin inflammations, including atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and sunburn, are all associated with antioxidant depletion in the skin. Supplementation with antioxidants has improved all of these conditions.

The fruits of acai and its relative jucara have been consumed by traditional cultures for generations. Ethnobotanists have recorded more than twenty uses for the various parts of the tree. The acai fruit has powerful cultural and socioeconomic significance for the population of Para. Acai fruit and palm hearts are transported to river cities and towns where they are sold at market by local families. In the city of Belem, acai is so popular that discarded pits litter the streets. Such problems will recede as preparation of acai drinks becomes more industrialized.

Acai juice is a major component of the diet of the lower classes, and is typically consumed with manioc (cassava) meal or with tapioca and sugar. Sometimes it’s eaten with manioc meal and grilled fish or dried shrimp; it’s also eaten as mingau, a porridge made with manioc meal. Locals have long known that acai fruit is dense with nutrients and can prevent nutritional deficiencies, which is why it’s part of their basic diet. Acai’s pleasing, mild flavor and excellent nutritional profile have made it a common side dish as well, often accompanying fish, rice, and beans, as well as other regional dishes. Acai is also used in many prepared foods in Brazil: jellies, yogurts, liqueurs, cakes, puddings, and even chocolates filled with acai pulp. The palmito (fruit) is used to make ice cream, ice pops, and other desserts. However, the most popular way Brazilians consume acai is in its juice form.

Acai has a mild, nutty flavor and is often sweetened with sugar or syrup, or combined with sweeter fruit juices. It provides a pleasing energy boost, without the over-stimulating effects of caffeine. Sometimes, acai is mixed with caffeine-containing plant extracts, such as guarana, to augment its uplifting effects. The “wine” of acai (vinho de acai) was originally consumed by indigenous tribes and is becoming increasingly popular throughout the region. Once known as “poor man’s juice,” acai is now consumed by people in every socioeconomic stratum of Brazil. Acai is very much an everyday drink, the way milk is for many North Americans. In fact, in Brazil, acai is often served to children at breakfast as a nutritionally rich substitute for milk. Many Amazon river towns and villages have an acailandia, an acai juicing operation that sells the popular beverage in small plastic bags.

Within each purple fruit is a hard, inedible seed. Claims have been made that the seeds of the acai fruit can be used in making a nutritive fertilizer for the cultivation of vegetables, but agricultural researchers have disputed this. The seeds can also be crushed to produce a green oil that’s been used as a folk remedy for scrofula (a form of tuberculosis characterized by swollen lymph glands). The roasted and crushed seeds can also be infused to make a tea, which is a traditional remedy for fever. Acai-seed tea is also used as a remedy for jaundice and as a tonic for the blood (acai is rich in iron). Tea made from the grated fruit rind has been used topically as a wash for skin ulcers. To use the root medicinally, it must be decocted (i.e., boiled) to break down the root bark and release the medicinal compounds. Decoctions of acai root have traditionally been used to treat many diseases, including diabetes, hepatitis, malaria, kidney disease, and dysmenorrheal (menstrual pain).