Magic super fruit, Acai berry

Acai berry

Acai has only recently become an internationally popular super food.

Acai berry is a small, round, dark purple fruit obtained from acai palm tree. Botanically, acai belongs to palm or Arecaceae family of trees in the genus Euterpe and known as Euterpe oleracea.
Each berry measures about the size of small sized grape, 2-3 cm in diameter. They are dark green initially then turns to dark purple color once reach maturity. Technically, the fruit is a drupe, consists of outer edible pulp surrounding a central large seed. Only the outer pulp, comprising about 10-15% of berry weight, is edible.

Acai palm is a tall, slender tree, which grows 15 to 25 m in height. The average mature plant has 3-10 well-developed stems (10-18 cm in diameter) from a single seed and root system. It grows better under waterlogged low-lying plains receiving good annual rainfall. Each stem behaves like individual tree and bear 3-5 bunches with each bunch holding about hundreds of berries in a way similar to areca palm or coconut palm.

Many of the doctors of the western world believe that this is truly a gift from the gods, a super food, a food that once consumed on a regular basis shows results that not even the medicine from the western world can explain. In the berry alone there is all the right nutrients and minerals that humans need to sustain a healthy lifestyle if consumed over a period of time. As a general rule the people who consume this berry do not show signs of malnutrition, they experience better sleeping patterns and even mental clarity.

Nutritional Content (Per 100 g)
	Calories	534
	Carbohydrates	51.9g
	Protein	8.12g
	Dietary Fiber	14g
	Calcium	260mg
	VitaminA	1002 IU
	Total Fat	32. 61 g
	oleic acid	56.2% of fats
	palmitic acid	24.1% of fats
	linoleic acid	12.5% of fats
	Saturated fat acid	6.9% of fats
	Amino acid
	aspartic acid	7.59% of Proten
	glutamic acid
	Iron	4.8 mg
	B-sitosterol campesterol sigmasterol	78~91% of total sterols

Health benefits of acai berry

• Acai berry has very good levels of anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins that have health benefiting and disease preventing properties.
• Unlike other berries and fruits, acai has high caloric values and fats. 100 g of berries provide about 80-250 cal depending up on the preparation and serving methods. In fact, fresh acai berry has been the staple nutritious diet of native Amazonians for centuries.

• Acai berry contains many polyphenolic anthocyanin compounds like resveratrol, cyanidin-3-galactoside, ferulic acid, delphinidin, petunidin as well as astringent pro-anthocyanidin tannins like epicatechin, protocatechuic acid and ellagic acid. Scientific studies on these compounds suggests that these compounds have been claimed to act as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer functions by virtue of their anti-free radical fighting actions In addition tannins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic properties.

• Preliminary research studies suggest that ellagic acid in acai has anti-proliferative properties due to its ability of directly inhibiting the DNA binding of certain carcinogens, including nitrosamines toxins in the food.
• Acai berry is also rich in medium chain fatty acids like oleic acid (omega-9) and linoleic acid (omega-6). These compounds help reduce LDL-cholesterol level and raise good HDL-cholesterol levels in the body as well as help prevent heart disease. In addition, they help prevent skin dryness by maintaining adequate moisture in the skin.
• Acai pulp has good levels of dietary fiber. Good fiber in the diet helps remove cholesterol in the stools.
• ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of acai berry is thought to be at mid-level range for fruits, higher than that of oranges but less than pomegranate. USDA so far not validated exact ORAC value of acai.

• Acai berries contain good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

• They are rich in B-complex vitamins and vitamin-K. Contain very good amounts of niacin, vitamin B-6 and riboflavin. These vitamins are function as co-factors and help body in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Acai uses in traditional medicine

• Acai extracts has been used by Amazon basin tribes as treatment remedy for diarrhea, parasitic infections, hemorrhages, and ulcer treatment.
• A kind of decoction obtained from crushed seeds has been used in the treatment of fever.
• Decoction obtained from the roots has been used in the treatment of menstrual pain, liver diseases, malaria in Peruvian culture.

Recent research regarding anti-cancer

What Makes Acai a Cancer Fighting Super Food?Free radicals are harmful molecules caused by everything from pesticides and cigarette smoke to exercising. They can damage cells and even DNA. Free radical damage has been shown to be associated with a range of diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and Cancer.

Nature's antidote to free radicals come in the form of fruits and vegetables known as antioxidants, which strengthen cells and defends against free radicals. The amount of antioxidant power that a food has is known as its ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity score).

The Acai berry is one of the highest. Its ORAC score is 167, compared with 32 for blueberries and 14 for apples. The increase in high antioxidant foods is essential to combating the skyrocketing rate of cancer and other diseases.

Acai May Kill Cancer CellsA study at The University of Florida discovered that acai berries caused human cancer cells to self destruct 86% of the time in a culture. While this research has only been shown in a cell culture model, it is likely that it will have the same effect on human beings.

The researchers plan to continue identifying how acai berries can prevent cancer. The assistant professor Talcott says "We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects." Studies at the University of Florida are also underway to determine the acai berry's benefits on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart health and related health indicators.
While the acai berry hasn't been proven to cure cancer, the research certainly looks promising and at the very least it is helpful in preventing cancer and other illnesses. Plus, it tastes delicious.