Anti-Cancer Effects of Acai Berries

Until I read this post from SkinnyKid, I’ve never heard of acai berries, touted to be “miracle berries” which can help “ward off cancer, protect your heart, even prevent Alzheimer’s disease, according to some research”. Wikipedia says it is even referred to as “the Amazon’s Viagra” because of the numerous nutrients ascribed to it. After a bit of clicking, I found out that apparently, it’s actually being sold as an antioxidant health supplement.

Call me a cynic but when something is labeled as a miracle-something, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow. Although preliminary data have indeed demonstrated that acai berries extracts show good activity against cancer cells in a model system, there are, as yet, no data on human trials. University of Florida researchers hope to conclude a study investigating the effects of acai’s antioxidants on healthy human subjects within the year. Until those results are out, I remain skeptical.

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1953 days ago

Eating Fabulous » A Look Back at Eating Fabulous in 2006
[...] In November, berries were in season, and we discussed the medicinal value of blueberries, and acai berries. [...]

By Jamie

I’m a big fan of Acai. I’ve never had the berries “plain” but I have tried juices with Acai and they were great. Also, one of my favorite smoothies is made with Acai:

http://www.jambajuice.com/menuguide/acaisupercharger.html

By ruth

I’ve never tried them myself, Mary Jo, but according to the article, “The berries are very tart, so dieticians suggest adding a little apple juice as sweetener.”

By Mary Jo

Yeah, I’m always skeptical of those “miracle” claims, too. But what I really want to know is how these berries taste.