Antioxidants in the Acai Berry Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Antioxidants are molecules that scavenge excess free radicals and neutralize them, helping to minimize the damage a surplus of radicals can cause in the body. While free radicals are not necessarily harmful and, in limited amounts, are quite necessary to normal biological processes, the problem arises when there is an excess. Free radicals scavenge electrons from other molecules and atoms in a process known as oxidation which can lead to cellular and even DNA damage.

Antioxidants bind with free radicals, essentially deactivating them, so that they are then eliminated through waste. Free radicals have been associated with many conditions from cancer to cardiovascular disease which is why a diet high in antioxidants, found mainly in fruits and vegetables, is recommended.

Since the acai berry has the highest antioxidant content of any fruit or vegetable, it is understandable that it is recommended as dietary supplement. While there is little proof regarding this fruit’s ability to cure illness, scientists agree that long term ingestion will lead to improved health and possible prevention of many common but debilitating diseases.

Improving Heart Health with Phytosterols

Even though there have been few studies done in vivo and certainly none to determine the benefits of long term supplementation with acai berries, there has been quite a lot of research conducted in vitro. Thus, it has been discovered that phytosterols can play a large role in heart health due to the fact that they seem to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract.

Phytosterols are the plant equivalent of animal cholesterol, with a chemical structure so similar to their animal counterpart that they replace cholesterol in the micelles in the digestive tract. The result is a much lower rate of absorption of cholesterol.

The acai berry has proven to be a rich source of phytosterols, especially B-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Each of these plant sterols offers different benefits, including prevention of different types of cancer, such as prostate, ovarian and breast cancer, anti-inflammatory effects and decreasing cholesterol levels.

For example, a study conducted on lab animals that were fed stigmasterol for six weeks discovered that there was a decrease of 23% in the absorption rate of cholesterol.

High levels of cholesterol, especially LDL, have been associated with various cardiovascular diseases, which is why doctors recommend a diet high in phytosterols. This makes the acai berry an excellent addition to any diet for those looking to improve their heart health.

 

Heart Health: Phytosterols Play a Big Role Here

Over the past five years, the acai berry has garnered a lot of media attention, being touted as a miracle fruit capable of improving heart health, promoting weight loss and even battling cancer. However, many of these claims are purely marketing ploys, especially those connected to weight loss, because while the acai may have an impressive nutritional profile, as of yet there have been no studies or clinical trials conducted to provide conclusive proof one way or the other.

The Acai Berry’s Nutritional Profile

The acai berry’s nutritional profile has been studied extensively since 1936 but only since 1996 has the true potential of this little fruit been discovered. Not only does the acai berry contain more than 19 amino acids making it one of the few fruits to offer complete proteins, but it also has the highest antioxidant level of any fruit or vegetable. Additionally, it contains phytosterols, the vegetarian version of animal fat, which have been proven to help inhibit cholesterol absorption.

 

Acai Berries Pack a Powerful Antioxidant Punch

Antioxidants represent nature’s defence against excessive free radicals by interrupting the oxidation process, in other words they provide these radicals with the electrons they require thus rendering them inert. Once neutralized, they are eliminated from the body through waste.

There are two main types of antioxidants, classed according to whether they are soluble in water or lipids. The most common antioxidant compounds found in food that can help combat the effects of free radicals include:

• vitamin C, present in many fresh fruits and vegetables;
• vitamin E found in healthy vegetable oils;
• polyphenolic antioxidants such as resveratrol and flavonoids which can be found in tea, coffee, red wine, fruit, olive oil, chocolate and many others;
• carotenoids which are present in fruit, vegetables and eggs.

However, the problem is that much of the antioxidant content present in food is destroyed during processing, which is why you should try to incorporate as many fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet as possible.

Acai berries: source of antioxidants

According to studies, it has been discovered that acai berries contain high levels of polyphenols, including anthocyanins and resveratrol, which are both present in red wine but to a lesser degree and twelve different flavonoids. The advantage to such a wide range of antioxidants is that each one battles a different type of radical.

However, while a recent study at the University of Texas revealed that the body does absorb antioxidants from acai berries, as yet there is currently no scientific evidence to support whether or not acai berries can cure free radical related diseases. This does not mean, though, that their health benefits should be discounted because at the very least the high level of antioxidants will help reduce the harmful free radical effects.

 

Preventing Hair Loss

According to scientists, it seems that the root cause of hair loss can be laid at the door of an imbalanced diet, especially those very high in fat and proteins which are believed to damage kidneys and lead to highly acidic blood. Of course, hair loss is also genetic and there is little one can do to prevent it, however, a healthy and balanced diet can go a long way in slowing down hair loss.

Additionally, vitamin deficiency can also lead to hair loss. For example, iron, calcium, Vitamin A and C all help in the production of sebum, which promotes hair growth while also offering it that healthy glow you see in shampoo advertisements. Other vitamins and minerals that promote healthy skin & hair include potassium, calcium, zinc, thiamine, niacin, Vitamin A, B2, B5 C and K.

The acai berry’s nutritional profile makes it an ideal candidate to promote healthy skin & hair due to the high levels of antioxidants it contains as well as the high level of minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and many more.

 

Can the Acai Berry Really Improve Skin & Hair Health?

Skin & hair health has more to do with diet than we care to admit. Even common problems such as hair loss and the premature aging of skin are directly tied with a diet that is deficient in vitamins and overly high in salt and processed foods, which lead to kidney damage. While the acai berry has not yet been scientifically proven to be a magic cure for every disease known to man, as most advertisements claim, it does have a nutritional profile that can improve skin & hair health.

Improving Skin Health with the Acai Berry

The skin is the largest organ of the human body, despite the fact that we don’t consider it as such. It is made up of collagen and elastin, which are elastic fibers that tend to relax with age and an improper diet. This relaxation of the fibers leads to wrinkles and saggy skin and is why eating a diet that promotes collagen production is vital to healthier looking skin.

Free radicals also play an important role in aging skin, which is why doctors recommend a diet high in antioxidants to combat the harmful effects of these radicals. While free radicals are critical to normal biological processes, a surplus of these molecules in the system leads to cellular damage and, implicitly, to skin damage.

While all antioxidants play an important role in reducing the effects of free radicals, recent research has made an interesting discovery. It seems that a phytochemical, known as ellagic acid, has a significant effect on slowing down skin aging. The results of the study were presented at the Experimental Biology 2009 meeting in New Orleans.

It seems that ellagic acid helps to prevent collagen destruction as well as inflammation, two of the main causes of wrinkles. Ellagic acid is found in many fruits, vegetables and nuts but the richest source can be found in berries, including the acai berry. It should be noted, though, that tests were conducted on mice and human skin cells in vitro with research in vivo to follow.

One can buy acai berry online to get all these advantages.

 

The Acai Berry: Sustained Energy

The acai berry is being advertised as providing incredibly high levels of energy. A quick look at the nutritional profile of this berry reveals that, in fact, its macronutrient structure does lend itself to providing high levels of sustainable energy over long periods of time.

Despite the fact that we may not like it, the main source of energy for humans is in the form of fats. This is because they provide twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins and they also provide slow-releasing energy, unlike carbohydrates. This means that if your main source of energy is from healthy fats, you will avoid the highs and lows associated with simple carbohydrate intake.

Contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad for you and, in fact, they are quite essential to the normal functioning of the body. Since the acai berries unique nutritional profile means that it contains very low amounts of sugar but high levels of essential fatty acids, this berry is an ideal source of energy. Due to the fact that it provides slow releasing energy in the form of healthy fats rather than relying on sugar as the energy source, this little berry is perfect for anyone who requires high-levels of sustained energy.

Additionally, there have been recent tests conducted by Food and Crop in Christchurch that have revealed the acai berry to have a low glycemic load of 0.5 compared to that of an apple, which comes in at approximately 14. This clearly shows that the acai is an excellent source of energy because you will not suffer from energy crashes as you would if you were to rely on simple carbohydrates for energy.