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Discuss with your doctor before taking any alternative medicine. This article is for
reference only, it is not a medical advice. All rights reserved. Do not copy this article to
other website or blog.
reference only, it is not a medical advice. All rights reserved. Do not copy this article to
other website or blog.
Health Benefits and Side Effects of Acai
Berry, Juice.. etc.
This article was prepared on March 20, 2009
Berry, Juice.. etc.
This article was prepared on March 20, 2009
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen pulps consumed in the Brazilian
diet generally contain high amounts of antioxidants. The neutral and acidic
flavonoids of red cabbage, red lettuce, acai frozen pulps, and other pulps
or frozen pulps showed high antioxidant activities. [7] 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. Then, you may ask
what the potential health benefits of Acai berry juice, extracts or its
supplements are?
Açaí fruit is a fair source of vitamin C and good source of natural
antioxidants. In regard to the correlation with the antioxidant activity only
the total anthocyanins and the total carotenoids presented positive and
significant correlation. [3] These antioxidants contribute the health benefits
of Acai berry. Acai berry juice, extracts or its supplements have been shown
to have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities in various in vitro
studies. Researchers from Holger NIS Inc., Canada, investigated the in vitro
and in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of a juice blend,
MonaVie Active, containing a mixture of fruits and berries; acai is the
predominant ingredient. The major antioxidants in the blend, cyanidin
3-rutoside, cyanidin 3-diglycoside, and cyanidin 3-glucoside showed
antioxidant protection of erythrocytes. In a clinical study, researchers found
intake of acai pulp and applesauce could increase plasma antioxidant
capacity (of anthocyanins) up to 2.3-3 folds. [6] In another study,
consumption of the acai juice blend showed an increase in serum
antioxidant, as well as inhibition of lipid peroxidation. [4] In a study of
reactive oxygen species formation in polymorphonuclear cells, Acai showed
a strong inhibition of the reactive oxygen species formation, indicating Acai
has anti-inflammatory properties. [5]
The antioxidant capacities of a few commercial and non-commercial Açaí
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. [14] Antioxidant capacity of the
polyphenol-rich beverages was found in the following order:
pomegranate juice >red wine>Concord grape juice>blueberry
juice>black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice>orange juice,
iced tea beverages, apple juice. [15]
Acai may have various health benefits. Açai polyphenolics were shown
to have anticancer activities in studiesof HL-60 human leukemia cells
cytotoxicity in HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. [9, 12] It was also
found that Acai stone extract had vasodilator activities, which the release of
endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor might be involved.[8] Thus, it
may have a benefit of blood pressure modulating effects.
Does acai berry help weight loss? Does the Acai supplement contain
the same amount of antioxidants as the Acai fruit does?
The manufacturing process for some supplements can concentrate the
antioxidants, while some processes may also degrade certain amounts of
antioxidants.
What are the side effects of Acai Berry?
Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) juice has been reported to be a transmission
route for Chagas' disease many years ago. [1] Just in 2006, 178 cases of
acute Chagas disease were reported in Brazil; 11 cases occurred in
Barcarena and were confirmed by visualization of parasites on blood
smears. [2]
What does Acai contain exactly?
It really depends on the study methods and the sources. In a study, Acai in
the Venezuelan Amazon was found to have a high nutritional value -
33-49% lipids, 9-13% protein, 2-5% ash, 18-27% dietary fiber. In fact, 71%
of the Acai fat is oleic acid and the iron content is about 0.015-0.023
mg/100 g. It also contains about 2-5 g/100 g of polyphenols, 0.7-1.37 g/100
g of tannins and 0.73-1.6 g/100 g of anthocyanins. Its antioxidant capacity
is about 87-88%. [10]
In another study, anthocyanins (mainly cyandin 3-glucoside and cyaniding
3-rutinoside; 3.19 mg/g dry weight), proanthocyanidins (mainly polymer;
12.9 mg/g dry weight), and other flavonoids (such as homoorientin, orientin,
isovitexin, scoparin, and taxifolin deoxyhexose) were found to be the major
phytochemicals. [11]
Total polyunsaturated fatty acid, total monounsaturated fatty acid, and total
saturated fatty acids contributed to 11.1%, 60.2%, and 28.7% of total fatty
acid. Oleic acid (53.9%) and palmitic acid (26.7%) were the two dominant
fatty acids. Nineteen amino acids were found; the total amino acid content
was determined to be 7.59% of total weight. The total sterols accounted for
0.048% by weight of powder. The three sterols B-sitosterol, campesterol,
and sigmasterol were identified. [11]
Crude oil extracts of Acai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) contains various phenolic
compounds and they are vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid,
protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid (+)-catechin and numerous
procyanidin oligomers [13]
Recently, Dihydroconiferyl alcohol, (+)-lariciresinol, (+)-pinoresinol,
(+)-syringaresinol, and protocatechuic acid methyl ester,
aryltetrahydronaphthalene, dihydrobenzofuran, furofuran,
8-O-4'-neolignan, and tetrahydrofuran structural types were also found in
Acai.
Reference:
[1] Pereira KS, Schmidt FL, Guaraldo AM, Franco RM, Dias VL, Passos LA. Chagas'
disease as a foodborne illness. J Food Prot. 2009 Feb;72(2):441-6. [2] Nóbrega AA,
Garcia MH, Tatto E, Obara MT, Costa E, Sobel J, Araujo WN. Oral transmission of
Chagas disease by consumption of açaí palm fruit, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009
Apr;15(4):653-5. [3] Santos GM, Maia GA, Sousa PH, Costa JM, Figueiredo RW, Prado
GM. Correlation between antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of açaí (Euterpe
oleracea Mart) comercial pulps Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2008 Jun;58(2):187-92. [4] Jensen
GS, Wu X, Patterson KM, Barnes J, Carter SG, Scherwitz L, Beaman R, Endres JR,
Schauss AG. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of an
antioxidant-rich fruit and berry juice blend. Results of a pilot and randomized,
double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep
24;56(18):8326-33. Epub 2008 Aug 22. [5] Honzel D, Carter SG, Redman KA, Schauss
AG, Endres JR, Jensen GS. Comparison of chemical and cell-based antioxidant
methods for evaluation of foods and natural products: generating multifaceted data by
parallel testing using erythrocytes and polymorphonuclear cells. J Agric Food Chem.
2008 Sep 24;56(18):8319-25. Epub 2008 Aug 22. [6] Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J,
Jilma-Stohlawetz P, Pacheco-Palencia LA, Meibohm B, Talcott ST, Derendorf H.
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;56(17):7796-802. Epub 2008 Aug 12. [7]
Hassimotto NM, Genovese MI, Lajolo FM. Antioxidant activity of dietary fruits, vegetables,
and commercial frozen fruit pulps. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 20;53(8):2928-35. [8]
Rocha AP, Carvalho LC, Sousa MA, Madeira SV, Sousa PJ, Tano T, Schini-Kerth VB,
Resende AC, Soares de Moura R. Endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect of Euterpe
oleracea Mart. (Açaí) extracts in mesenteric vascular bed of the rat. Vascul Pharmacol.
2007 Feb;46(2):97-104. Epub 2006 Sep 1. [9] Del Pozo-Insfran D, Percival SS, Talcott
ST. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycoside and aglycone forms
induce apoptosis of HL-60 leukemia cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb
22;54(4):1222-9. [10] Neida S, Elba S. Characterization of the acai or manaca (Euterpe
oleracea Mart.): a fruit of the Amazon Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2007 Mar;57(1):94-8. [11]
Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Patel D, Huang D, Kababick JP. Phytochemical and
nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart.
(acai). J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-603. [12] Pacheco-Palencia LA,
Talcott ST, Safe S, Mertens-Talcott S. Absorption and biological activity of
phytochemical-rich extracts from açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp and oil in vitro. J
Agric Food Chem. 2008 May 28;56(10):3593-600. Epub 2008 Apr 29. [13]
Pacheco-Palencia LA, Mertens-Talcott S, Talcott ST. Chemical composition, antioxidant
properties, and thermal stability of a phytochemical enriched oil from Acai (Euterpe
oleracea Mart.). J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Jun 25;56(12):4631-6. Epub 2008 Jun 4. [14]
Lichtenthäler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius H, Marx F.
Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) fruits. Int J Food Sci
Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64. [15] Seeram NP, Aviram M, Zhang Y, Henning SM, Feng L,
Dreher M, Heber D. Comparison of antioxidant potency of commonly consumed
polyphenol-rich beverages in the United States. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb
27;56(4):1415-22. Epub 2008 Jan 26. [16] Chin YW, Chai HB, Keller WJ, Kinghorn AD.
Lignans and other constituents of the fruits of Euterpe oleracea (Acai) with antioxidant
and cytoprotective activities. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10;56(17):7759-64. Epub
2008 Jul 26.
diet generally contain high amounts of antioxidants. The neutral and acidic
flavonoids of red cabbage, red lettuce, acai frozen pulps, and other pulps
or frozen pulps showed high antioxidant activities. [7] 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. Then, you may ask
what the potential health benefits of Acai berry juice, extracts or its
supplements are?
Açaí fruit is a fair source of vitamin C and good source of natural
antioxidants. In regard to the correlation with the antioxidant activity only
the total anthocyanins and the total carotenoids presented positive and
significant correlation. [3] These antioxidants contribute the health benefits
of Acai berry. Acai berry juice, extracts or its supplements have been shown
to have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities in various in vitro
studies. Researchers from Holger NIS Inc., Canada, investigated the in vitro
and in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of a juice blend,
MonaVie Active, containing a mixture of fruits and berries; acai is the
predominant ingredient. The major antioxidants in the blend, cyanidin
3-rutoside, cyanidin 3-diglycoside, and cyanidin 3-glucoside showed
antioxidant protection of erythrocytes. In a clinical study, researchers found
intake of acai pulp and applesauce could increase plasma antioxidant
capacity (of anthocyanins) up to 2.3-3 folds. [6] In another study,
consumption of the acai juice blend showed an increase in serum
antioxidant, as well as inhibition of lipid peroxidation. [4] In a study of
reactive oxygen species formation in polymorphonuclear cells, Acai showed
a strong inhibition of the reactive oxygen species formation, indicating Acai
has anti-inflammatory properties. [5]
The antioxidant capacities of a few commercial and non-commercial Açaí
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. [14] Antioxidant capacity of the
polyphenol-rich beverages was found in the following order:
pomegranate juice >red wine>Concord grape juice>blueberry
juice>black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice>orange juice,
iced tea beverages, apple juice. [15]
Acai may have various health benefits. Açai polyphenolics were shown
to have anticancer activities in studiesof HL-60 human leukemia cells
cytotoxicity in HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. [9, 12] It was also
found that Acai stone extract had vasodilator activities, which the release of
endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor might be involved.[8] Thus, it
may have a benefit of blood pressure modulating effects.
Does acai berry help weight loss? Does the Acai supplement contain
the same amount of antioxidants as the Acai fruit does?
The manufacturing process for some supplements can concentrate the
antioxidants, while some processes may also degrade certain amounts of
antioxidants.
What are the side effects of Acai Berry?
Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) juice has been reported to be a transmission
route for Chagas' disease many years ago. [1] Just in 2006, 178 cases of
acute Chagas disease were reported in Brazil; 11 cases occurred in
Barcarena and were confirmed by visualization of parasites on blood
smears. [2]
What does Acai contain exactly?
It really depends on the study methods and the sources. In a study, Acai in
the Venezuelan Amazon was found to have a high nutritional value -
33-49% lipids, 9-13% protein, 2-5% ash, 18-27% dietary fiber. In fact, 71%
of the Acai fat is oleic acid and the iron content is about 0.015-0.023
mg/100 g. It also contains about 2-5 g/100 g of polyphenols, 0.7-1.37 g/100
g of tannins and 0.73-1.6 g/100 g of anthocyanins. Its antioxidant capacity
is about 87-88%. [10]
In another study, anthocyanins (mainly cyandin 3-glucoside and cyaniding
3-rutinoside; 3.19 mg/g dry weight), proanthocyanidins (mainly polymer;
12.9 mg/g dry weight), and other flavonoids (such as homoorientin, orientin,
isovitexin, scoparin, and taxifolin deoxyhexose) were found to be the major
phytochemicals. [11]
Total polyunsaturated fatty acid, total monounsaturated fatty acid, and total
saturated fatty acids contributed to 11.1%, 60.2%, and 28.7% of total fatty
acid. Oleic acid (53.9%) and palmitic acid (26.7%) were the two dominant
fatty acids. Nineteen amino acids were found; the total amino acid content
was determined to be 7.59% of total weight. The total sterols accounted for
0.048% by weight of powder. The three sterols B-sitosterol, campesterol,
and sigmasterol were identified. [11]
Crude oil extracts of Acai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) contains various phenolic
compounds and they are vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid,
protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid (+)-catechin and numerous
procyanidin oligomers [13]
Recently, Dihydroconiferyl alcohol, (+)-lariciresinol, (+)-pinoresinol,
(+)-syringaresinol, and protocatechuic acid methyl ester,
aryltetrahydronaphthalene, dihydrobenzofuran, furofuran,
8-O-4'-neolignan, and tetrahydrofuran structural types were also found in
Acai.
Reference:
[1] Pereira KS, Schmidt FL, Guaraldo AM, Franco RM, Dias VL, Passos LA. Chagas'
disease as a foodborne illness. J Food Prot. 2009 Feb;72(2):441-6. [2] Nóbrega AA,
Garcia MH, Tatto E, Obara MT, Costa E, Sobel J, Araujo WN. Oral transmission of
Chagas disease by consumption of açaí palm fruit, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009
Apr;15(4):653-5. [3] Santos GM, Maia GA, Sousa PH, Costa JM, Figueiredo RW, Prado
GM. Correlation between antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of açaí (Euterpe
oleracea Mart) comercial pulps Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2008 Jun;58(2):187-92. [4] Jensen
GS, Wu X, Patterson KM, Barnes J, Carter SG, Scherwitz L, Beaman R, Endres JR,
Schauss AG. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of an
antioxidant-rich fruit and berry juice blend. Results of a pilot and randomized,
double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep
24;56(18):8326-33. Epub 2008 Aug 22. [5] Honzel D, Carter SG, Redman KA, Schauss
AG, Endres JR, Jensen GS. Comparison of chemical and cell-based antioxidant
methods for evaluation of foods and natural products: generating multifaceted data by
parallel testing using erythrocytes and polymorphonuclear cells. J Agric Food Chem.
2008 Sep 24;56(18):8319-25. Epub 2008 Aug 22. [6] Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J,
Jilma-Stohlawetz P, Pacheco-Palencia LA, Meibohm B, Talcott ST, Derendorf H.
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;56(17):7796-802. Epub 2008 Aug 12. [7]
Hassimotto NM, Genovese MI, Lajolo FM. Antioxidant activity of dietary fruits, vegetables,
and commercial frozen fruit pulps. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 20;53(8):2928-35. [8]
Rocha AP, Carvalho LC, Sousa MA, Madeira SV, Sousa PJ, Tano T, Schini-Kerth VB,
Resende AC, Soares de Moura R. Endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect of Euterpe
oleracea Mart. (Açaí) extracts in mesenteric vascular bed of the rat. Vascul Pharmacol.
2007 Feb;46(2):97-104. Epub 2006 Sep 1. [9] Del Pozo-Insfran D, Percival SS, Talcott
ST. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycoside and aglycone forms
induce apoptosis of HL-60 leukemia cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb
22;54(4):1222-9. [10] Neida S, Elba S. Characterization of the acai or manaca (Euterpe
oleracea Mart.): a fruit of the Amazon Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2007 Mar;57(1):94-8. [11]
Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Patel D, Huang D, Kababick JP. Phytochemical and
nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart.
(acai). J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-603. [12] Pacheco-Palencia LA,
Talcott ST, Safe S, Mertens-Talcott S. Absorption and biological activity of
phytochemical-rich extracts from açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp and oil in vitro. J
Agric Food Chem. 2008 May 28;56(10):3593-600. Epub 2008 Apr 29. [13]
Pacheco-Palencia LA, Mertens-Talcott S, Talcott ST. Chemical composition, antioxidant
properties, and thermal stability of a phytochemical enriched oil from Acai (Euterpe
oleracea Mart.). J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Jun 25;56(12):4631-6. Epub 2008 Jun 4. [14]
Lichtenthäler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius H, Marx F.
Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) fruits. Int J Food Sci
Nutr. 2005 Feb;56(1):53-64. [15] Seeram NP, Aviram M, Zhang Y, Henning SM, Feng L,
Dreher M, Heber D. Comparison of antioxidant potency of commonly consumed
polyphenol-rich beverages in the United States. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb
27;56(4):1415-22. Epub 2008 Jan 26. [16] Chin YW, Chai HB, Keller WJ, Kinghorn AD.
Lignans and other constituents of the fruits of Euterpe oleracea (Acai) with antioxidant
and cytoprotective activities. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10;56(17):7759-64. Epub
2008 Jul 26.