Posts Tagged ‘Fruit Sources’

Facts and Fiction Surrounding the Acai Berry

Acai berry fruit is a rare fruit that can only be found in the Amazon. It’s rare not because it’s an endangered plant, but because exporting it takes a lot of effort. It can’t simply be sipped as a fresh fruit because it spoils easily. This is largely because of the high (good) fat content in its pulp. Also, only 10% of acai berry fruits are beneficial for human dietary consumption. About 90% of the fruit are seeds, which have no nutritional value.

Popularity
acai berry products have been popular through the years for its anti-aging benefits. Fairly recently, medical researches have found that it’s also largely responsible for weight loss. Oprah pronounced it as the world’s #1 superfood, because is has the highest lever lf antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals, compared to other fruit sources.  

Make Sure You Read The Label
Because the acai berry fruit can’t be imported from the Amazon as fresh produce, it needs to undergo various types of preservations. The most common is freezing the acai fruit pulp, which is responsible for the rare and pricy fruit pulps that the most health conscious of us buy from specialized stores. The more common derivative of acai berries, however, are capsule supplements.

You should carefully read the label and look for a “freeze dried” note. This means that the acai berry has been frozen and dried before it was turned to powder. “Spray drying” which may be the technique used for cheaper acai berry supplements strip the fruit of all its nutrients. Do not buy “extracts” of acai berries as well, because it defeats the purpose of buying acai berries in the first place. When you buy these berries, you would want their full benefits.

Nutritional Facts
When you buy acai berry, you rest assured knowing that you’re purchasing organic products. This means that you don’t have to worry about odd side-effects which may be caused by chemicals added into your supplements. Acai berries give you the same benefits as any other fruits, only in a more concentrated manner. For example, we already know that most plant foods have antioxidants, Omegas and Anthocyanins. For such a small fruit, though, researchers have found that these substances exist in a high percentage on a single acai berry fruit.

Acai berries offer 10 times the amount of Anthocyanins compared to good old red wine. This means that taking a single capsule of acai berry supplement can actually be more beneficial for the heart compared to a full glass of red wine. This is especially good news for people who are allergic to alcohol.  

Acai berries also have twice the antioxidants that are found in blueberries. Blueberries used to have the highest amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants before the discovery of this new fruit. Those who have difficulty with their bowel movement may also benefit from the high fiber content (14%) of acai berry products. This is certainly a healthier way to lose weight compared to artificial laxatives which only cause our bodies to get dehydrated.

Joseph Long
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/facts-and-fiction-surrounding-the-acai-berry-748051.html

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Facts and Fiction Surrounding the Acai Berry

Acai berry fruit is a rare fruit that can only be found in the Amazon. It’s rare not because it’s an endangered plant, but because exporting it takes a lot of effort. It can’t simply be sipped as a fresh fruit because it spoils easily. This is largely because of the high (good) fat content in its pulp. Also, only 10% of acai berry fruits are beneficial for human dietary consumption. About 90% of the fruit are seeds, which have no nutritional value.

Popularity
Acai berry products have been popular through the years for its anti-aging benefits. Fairly recently, medical researches have found that it’s also largely responsible for weight loss. Oprah pronounced it as the world’s #1 superfood, because is has the highest lever lf antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals, compared to other fruit sources.  

Make Sure You Read The Label
Because the acai berry fruit can’t be imported from the Amazon as fresh produce, it needs to undergo various types of preservations. The most common is freezing the acai fruit pulp, which is responsible for the rare and pricy fruit pulps that the most health conscious of us buy from specialized stores. The more common derivative of acai berries, however, are capsule supplements.

You should carefully read the label and look for a “freeze dried” note. This means that the acai berry has been frozen and dried before it was turned to powder. “Spray drying” which may be the technique used for cheaper acai berry supplements strip the fruit of all its nutrients. Do not buy “extracts” of acai berries as well, because it defeats the purpose of buying acai berries in the first place. When you buy these berries, you would want their full benefits.

Nutritional Facts
When you buy acai berry, you rest assured knowing that you’re purchasing organic products. This means that you don’t have to worry about odd side-effects which may be caused by chemicals added into your supplements. Acai berries give you the same benefits as any other fruits, only in a more concentrated manner. For example, we already know that most plant foods have antioxidants, Omegas and Anthocyanins. For such a small fruit, though, researchers have found that these substances exist in a high percentage on a single acai berry fruit.

Acai berries offer 10 times the amount of Anthocyanins compared to good old red wine. This means that taking a single capsule of acai berry supplement can actually be more beneficial for the heart compared to a full glass of red wine. This is especially good news for people who are allergic to alcohol.  

Acai berries also have twice the antioxidants that are found in blueberries. Blueberries used to have the highest amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants before the discovery of this new fruit. Those who have difficulty with their bowel movement may also benefit from the high fiber content (14%) of acai berry products. This is certainly a healthier way to lose weight compared to artificial laxatives which only cause our bodies to get dehydrated.

Joseph Long
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/facts-and-fiction-surrounding-the-acai-berry-748051.html

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Facts and Fiction Surrounding the Acai Berry

Acai berry fruit is a rare fruit that can only be found in the Amazon. It’s rare not because it’s an endangered plant, but because exporting it takes a lot of effort. It can’t simply be sipped as a fresh fruit because it spoils easily. This is largely because of the high (good) fat content in its pulp. Also, only 10% of acai berry fruits are beneficial for human dietary consumption. About 90% of the fruit are seeds, which have no nutritional value.

Popularity
Acai berry products have been popular through the years for its anti-aging benefits. Fairly recently, medical researches have found that it’s also largely responsible for weight loss. Oprah pronounced it as the world’s #1 superfood, because is has the highest lever lf antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals, compared to other fruit sources.  

Make Sure You Read The Label
Because the acai berry fruit can’t be imported from the Amazon as fresh produce, it needs to undergo various types of preservations. The most common is freezing the acai fruit pulp, which is responsible for the rare and pricy fruit pulps that the most health conscious of us buy from specialized stores. The more common derivative of acai berries, however, are capsule supplements.

You should carefully read the label and look for a “freeze dried” note. This means that the acai berry has been frozen and dried before it was turned to powder. “Spray drying” which may be the technique used for cheaper acai berry supplements strip the fruit of all its nutrients. Do not buy “extracts” of acai berries as well, because it defeats the purpose of buying acai berries in the first place. When you buy these berries, you would want their full benefits.

Nutritional Facts
When you buy acai berry, you rest assured knowing that you’re purchasing organic products. This means that you don’t have to worry about odd side-effects which may be caused by chemicals added into your supplements. Acai berries give you the same benefits as any other fruits, only in a more concentrated manner. For example, we already know that most plant foods have antioxidants, Omegas and Anthocyanins. For such a small fruit, though, researchers have found that these substances exist in a high percentage on a single acai berry fruit.

Acai berries offer 10 times the amount of Anthocyanins compared to good old red wine. This means that taking a single capsule of acai berry supplement can actually be more beneficial for the heart compared to a full glass of red wine. This is especially good news for people who are allergic to alcohol.  

Acai berries also have twice the antioxidants that are found in blueberries. Blueberries used to have the highest amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants before the discovery of this new fruit. Those who have difficulty with their bowel movement may also benefit from the high fiber content (14%) of acai berry products. This is certainly a healthier way to lose weight compared to artificial laxatives which only cause our bodies to get dehydrated.

Joseph Long
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/facts-and-fiction-surrounding-the-acai-berry-748051.html

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Amazon Superfruit Kills Cancer Cells in the Lab

A recently completed University of Florida study has added to the buzz surrounding the Brazilian acai berry which is sold in many health stores as an antioxidant supplement. The study is, hopefully, one of the first of many to research the many claims attributed to the acai fruit.

In it’s study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai berry pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations.

At least 4 of the extracts killed a great many cancer cells when applied for 24 hours or more. Anywhere from 35 percent to 86 percent of the cancer cells were destroyed, depending on the particular extract and concentration.

According to Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the study showed extracts from acai berries triggered a self-destruct response (apoptosis) in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested

Talcott, however, cautioned against reading too much into the results, noting that the tests were run against cancer cell cultures and not on human test subjects.

Still, the results are exciting. In the last year, the Brazilian berry has really taken off in the United States. It has also caught the attention of many companies who are now creating products that include the acai berry.

Although, acai berries are thought to be one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants, other fruits that are rich in antioxidants such as mangoes, grapes, have been shown to kill cancer cells in similar studies.

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage is theorized to be one of the main causes of cancer. A sufficient amount of antioxidants are thought by many to short-circuit this process by interacting with and stabilizing the free radicals and may stopping the damage that they do to healthy cells.

Experts are divided on just what effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because of the many other lifestyle factors that have to be factored into the equation. There is much evidence that antioxidants may slow or even prevent the development of cancer cells. On the other hand, many double blind studies have not been conclusive -with some seeming to indicate that antioxidants retard cancer cell growth and others indicating that it has no effect.

There have been many anecdotal claims made for the Amazon acai berry fruit. And traditionally Indians in the Brazilian rain forest have used it in ways as diverse as food, house thatching, drink, diarrhea, jaundice, fevers, and as treatment for many other health diseases.

The University of Florida study as well as others are a welcome step towards getting away from some of the claims of acai and subjecting it to controlled studies in the laboratory.

“A lot of claims are being made, but most of them haven’t been tested scientifically,” Talcott said. “We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects.”

Jim Allen
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/amazon-superfruit-kills-cancer-cells-in-the-lab-305680.html

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