Acai has made the news yet again! Reporter Ashley McMillan has done a great report in vitamins and supplements in her report. She discusses these topics with Dr. Thompson and report that products like our acai berry can take some time for the benefits to be felt or noticed. In some cases up to 4 to 6 weeks.

“Most people aren’t going to get benefits right off the bat. Most things have to build up in your system, ususally that can take up to a week and sometimes up to a month. Certain medications up to 4-6 (weeks).”

…

“Both (Donna) Link and Thompson say it’s important to take the vitamin or supplement for at least 30 days.”

For more information, or to see the video report, head over to the KXMC website.

photo credit: Jeff Karpala

There are literally tons of different diets and dieting products available on the market which all claim to be a quick way to lose weight. Some of these diets can work wonders for you, but the way in which they help you lose weight can be unnatural, unhealthy, or even worse, it simply doesn’t work as a reliable weight loss method. That’s one of the reasons people turn to the acai berry for their dieting needs. The acai berry is an all-natural fruit which grows on the acai palm in Central and South America. The acai berry has been harvested by the native peoples of the land for centuries. However, the berry has only recently made an explosion onto the global market after spas and health bars in Rio De Janiero began serving the drink as a supplement for weight loss.

The reason the acai berry has become so popular in recent times is the extreme amount of benefits you can gain from its consumption. In fact, weight loss is just one of the many benefits the acai berry offers. It’s loaded with antioxidants with a huge ORAC value, which is a value the FDA assigns foods with antioxidants to determine their worth to the body. Antioxidants are extremely important to the body for the number of functions they help regulate and maintain. In fact, recent studies have shown that when the acai berry is taken correctly as a dietary supplement, it can promote weight loss, increase energy, raise your metabolism, as well as being a cornerstone to helping science find the cure for cancer.

There are some things you should be aware of before you decide on an acai berry supplement for your daily diet. You should look and see how the berry was preserved, if the product states. Freeze dried berries are always more beneficial than berries which are not. The product should state how the berry was preserved, so you know you’re getting the best for your money. In addition to supplements, the acai berry often comes in many forms. You’ll find the fruit plain in regions closer to its growing location, but further out around the globe, you can get it in yogurt, juices, and even freeze dried for including it in your own recipes. Many people enjoy the taste of acai berry, describing it as a chocolate raspberry. If you do try acai and decide you don’t like the taste, its always available in supplement form. So if you’re looking to lose weight in a healthy and natural way, don’t discount the acai berry as a great supplement, especially when coupled with a regular regimen of exercise and eating properly.

photo credit: Lanci Daniele

It is quite well known that the acai berries are extremely rich in health benefits, especially weight loss and anti aging, for which it is renowned all over the world, but very few people know that these berries are quite effective for those who are looking for bodybuilding benefits too. Of course, acai berries cannot be relied on completely for bodybuilding – there’s too much needed to achieve that – but they can definitely act as healthy supplements to accelerate the process. More research is still going on into this relation of acai berries and their bodybuilding benefits, but the studies done so far have been highly encouraging. Let us look at this little-talked about relationship in closer detail.

The core reason why acai berries are good for bodybuilding is the presence of the high amounts of amino acids in it. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. In fact, if you look at a protein structure in detail, it is nothing but several amino acid molecules (same or different) connected end to end with a kind of linkage known as the peptide linkage. Hence, when acai berries are consumed, the body takes in the different amino acids that it consists, which are at least nineteen in number. That means, the body gets a boost in the building blocks that it requires for the manufacture of proteins.

Bodybuilders must definitely take acai berries seriously because they need to have a great deal of proteins in their bodies if they need to develop those rippling muscles. In this regard, there are very little foods that come close to the effectiveness of the acai berries. These berries contain up to 7.59% of pure amino acids when they are made in the pulp form (this is the form that the acai berries are usually marketed in). If you think about it from a quantitative point of view, it comes to approximately 8 grams of pure proteins in an acai pulp product weighing 100 grams.

It is now established that the acai berries have direct benefits in helping people who are looking at bodybuilding benefits. However, there are several indirect methods in which they work too. One of these is the tendency of the berries to remove the harmful LDL cholesterol from the blood by introducing healthy HDL cholesterol. There are high antioxidant levels present in the berries, which is again a big advantage because the antioxidants can improve the efficiency of the metabolic processes that take place in the body, thus resulting in a fitter body. Even bodybuilders have fears of accumulating cholesterol and fats in their bodies; acai berries work wonderfully in putting these fears to rest.

Due to their healthy antioxidant levels that keep the body always functioning at its optimum best, the acai berries not only build the muscles and tissues of the person, but they also see to it that the person remains intrinsically healthy. If you are bodybuilder who is looking at remaining healthy within and not just muscular outside, acai berries may be the right dietary supplements for you to adopt. They are also great for people who consume vegetarian diets to get more than the required supply of proteins.

The little dark blue brown acai berry has been studied a lot in recent years and has been shown to have some of the most amazing health benefits that humankind has ever known. Never before has a health product come under so much scrutiny and research and actually proven itself to be meritorious in all the claims that have been made about it. The significant fact is that the berry shows to have more and more health cures even when so many are already discovered and scientifically and medically proven. Now, experts are going as far as saying that with the acai berry a person can actually stay healthier for the entire life, keeping diseases at bay.

This has naturally captured global attention. Keeping away from diseases is something not many health foods do effectively, even if they do it at all. However, acai berries have been proven to keep diseases such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease, osteoporosis, skin conditions, hypertension and even cancer, as recent researches prove. This is the longest list of health benefits ascribed to any one food, and that is what makes the acai berries truly special.

But why do the acai berries work in this manner? What makes them so beneficial from a health perspective? Scientists who have spent years researching on the berry and its benefits ascribe these benefits to the huge concentration of antioxidants that are present in the berries. Antioxidants work by eliminating the destructive free radicals that work at slowing down the metabolic processes. During our body processes, several free radicals are released, which are nothing but incomplete chemical molecules. Being incomplete, they tend to complete their structures by combining with the useful enzymes and hormones present in the body and hence hamper the effectiveness of body processes.

Acai berries act so effectively against disease protection because the poly phenolic antioxidants present in them play a role in removing these free radicals from the body. In the absence of the radicals, it becomes much easier for the various metabolic processes to function more effectively. This is what unlocks the secrets for the various benefits of health provided by the acai berry. A body that performs well will also stay healthier.

The reason for the added body immunity that acai berries provide is also because of the presence of the antioxidants. Our body has various internal mechanisms to fight against diseases, such as the action of white blood corpuscles in fighting against infections that threaten the body. However, in some people, the immune system is weak due to which such protective mechanisms do not take place. Acai berries, with their free radical removal action, see to it that these mechanisms are functioning effectively and that the body is protected at all times.

In fact, acai berries are also known to mitigate the symptoms of aging. People are able to have a more youthful skin because the acai thwart the negative processes that bring on conditions such as wrinkles, scars and other age-related problems. This in itself helps people to stay healthier for a longer time.

Improve Your Mental Health

Out of the innumerable health benefits of the acai berries that have been studied, researched and confirmed, some of the most significant benefits pertain to the mental health and wellbeing. It has been now established for sure that the acai berries can go a long way in keeping people’s mental skills active despite their advancing age, and can in fact, improve their mental faculties as they go along.

The properties of the acai berries at maintaining proper mental health are ascribed to the high levels of the mineral manganese that are contained in it. There are about 174 milligrams of manganese present in 100 grams of acai berries, which is a healthy amount of the mineral, which can be easily absorbed by the body.

Manganese performs the following tasks for preserving and honing mental and related skills in humans:-
? Manganese is necessary for stimulating the brain to function in an analytical manner so that it can slowly grow in its applicative faculties. The stimulation that manganese provides to the brain helps it to keep functioning even as age advances.
? Manganese is an essential component for the proper functioning of the brain in committing bits of information to memory. With a manganese
deficiency, the person might suffer from memory loss.
? Manganese is also needed for maintaining the optimum level of functioning of the brain. Without this balance, there is a tendency that the brain would fall into emotional problems such as panic, anxiety, nervousness and depression. People without adequate manganese in their bodies are often of an unstable state of mind and have complaints of mood swings.

Hence, by providing the requisite amount of manganese to the body, the acai berries help in improving mental functions of the person, keeping them free from emotional disturbances and keeping them working with their full mental faculties for a longer period of time.

There is another side to the mental health benefits of the acai berries. Acai berries are also quite rich in vitamins, notably the vitamin B1 (thiamine). Among other things, vitamin B1 is essential in improving the assimilation of minerals in the bloodstream. It also facilitates the easy assimilation of manganese into the human bloodstream, without which there is a chance of the mineral being eliminated from the body without providing any of its benefits. Hence, acai berries do not just provide the minerals that are needed for proper mental health, but they also see to it that these minerals are retained in the body so that their goodness is maintained.

There are various palatable forms in which the acai berries can be consumed. They are available in the forms of juices and pulps which can be used for making delicious recipes for the young and old alike. This is an important point in its favor. Though acai berries are classified as health foods, they are also delicious and that is the reason most people do not have any qualms in using them. Resultantly, their health benefits have a potential to reach out to a broader cross-section of population than any other health foods.

This is particularly of note in respect of mental wellbeing. The good taste of acai berries ensures that children consume them without being too finicky about them, and enjoy their health benefits for a long life to follow.

Nature’s own superfruit is revealing more and more facets of its amazing powers as time goes by. Widely heralded as the most beneficial fruit to come out from nature’s coffers, the acai berry has reached almost a sacred status in the health and nutrition industry. The biggest buzz in the medical world today is that, apart from the various benefits that the acai berries are known for, these berries can be a possible preventive method for some kinds of cancer too.

The University of Florida Study

These revelations were made after a study by the University of Florida. This famous study included a testing on cells of leukemia (blood cancer). The antioxidants present in the acai berries were extracted and the cancer cells were treated with these antioxidants. It was found that the antioxidants commenced a response on the cancer cells without any outside stimulus or provocation and killed about 86% of these cells. The important point to note here is that the response took place without any outside assistance. Hence, it was shown that the acai berries have an intrinsic tendency to fight against cancer cells, which has come as a huge chunk of good news for the medical fraternity. Results of this study conducted in January 2006 are mentioned in detail in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Antioxidants – The Anti-Cancer Ingredients in Acai

So what makes the acai berries a potential candidate as a cancer prevention and probably even treatment method? The answer lies in the presence of the antioxidants that are present in thee acai. Acai berries boast of extremely high antioxidant contents, 10 times more than any other fruit that is present on the earth. The acai berries are goldmine reserves of anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, which have already been studied for anti-cancer activity. Blueberries and grapes are considered to be cancer preventive foods for the presence of the antioxidants in them, but the high concentration of antioxidants in acai makes them much more effective than these foods in this respect.

Antioxidants are notable because they can mow down the concentration of free radicals in the body. A high concentration of free radicals can cause adverse reactions in the body, including the promotion of cancer cells. By reacting with the free radicals and making them lose their potential, the antioxidants present in the acai berries can very effectively reduce their tendency to cause undesirable chemical changes in the body. Due to the fact that the acai berries have the highest concentration of antioxidants among all the foods in the world, they are most capable of preventing cancer.

Acai Berries – Other Benefits

The anticancer properties of acai berries have recently come into the limelight, but these berries have been used for a host of other health benefits since centuries. Their weight loss and anti-aging benefits are well known, and they are also potential libido enhancers in men. Since ancient times, these berries have been used to provide an energy boost to people.

With the discovery of the anticancer properties of acai berries, they have suddenly emerged as much better nature cures than ever before. They have consolidated their position as the number one nutritious fruit of the world.

If you are living anywhere in Latin America, there is no likelihood of you not hearing the name of acai berries. In this continent, acai berries are a highly consumed food, in various forms, including salads and beverages. But it is not just the taste that attracts Latinos to this amazing food. There are several reasons, all of them beneficial from a health point of view. The following is a list of ten reasons why you must include acai berries in your diet too.

1. Acai berries are among the world’s richest sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants are needed to combat the free radicals present in the human body which cause a lot of undesirable chemical changes, including the aging process. When acai berries are a part of your diet, the concentration of free radicals in the body will drastically reduce, because of which the aging process will slow down.

2. Free radicals slow down the metabolism of the body. Among other things, this hampers the digestive process leading to accumulation of fat. Acai berries can destroy these free radicals, due to which the metabolic rate of the body increases and fat begins to get utilized. Hence, they are a potent remedy for weight loss.

3. If you are worried about your body hoarding toxic remnants of the junk food that you have been eating throughout your life, a regular consumption of acai berries can act wonderfully in cleansing your body. This detoxification is brought about because of the berries’ potential to improve the rate of blood circulation within the body which brings the toxic materials to the excretory organs faster and more effectively.

4. In parts of South America, the purple variety of acai berries (the one that is available commercially in other parts of the world) is used to make an energizer drink. The effects of this drink are instant.

5. Acai berries contain a good amount of vitamin C. This vitamin improves the absorption of iron and calcium in the body and improves the blood clotting process in case of injuries.

6. They are also a very rich source of all B complex vitamins. These vitamins are essential in the formation of red blood corpuscles and in the proper functioning of the nervous system.

7. A really wonderful benefit of acai berries is their high useful fatty acid content (approximately 32.5%). The berries contain a commendable amount of oleic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid, which provide the cholesterol that is necessary to the body, consequently reducing the proportion of the harmful cholesterol.

8. As the amount of good cholesterol increases in the body, a host of cardiovascular ailments are avoided, including atherosclerosis, heart seizures, hypertension, etc.

9. Acai berries are also renowned for their exceptionally high content of fiber. The berries contain 52% carbohydrates which provide fiber. This helps improve digestion and keeps the person well-protected from problems such as constipation.

10. Most importantly, acai berries have the potential to improve the immune system of the body. The immune system is extremely important in improving the body resistance so that it does not fall prey to diseases, especially the infectious and contagious ones. With a weakened immune system, the person will be sick often. Acai berries keep the person healthier by strengthening the immune system.

Thus, acai berries have a long list of uses to their name. If you haven’t been making use of this highly powerful natural remedy, it is high time you did so.

Okay, so we live in a shallow, image-oriented society – no news there. Most people seem to place way too much importance in the way they look, particularly where it concerns their silhouette. Regardless, we should keep in account that obesity is a modern epidemic, and furthermore, we should not forget that excessive weight is bad in several ways that go beyond mere vanity and self- perception. While it’s bad to judge someone on the way they look, or get obsessive over your body fat, it’s definitely good to lead a healthy diet, and make some exercise. Well, you’re about to find out about a little nutritional secret that might just become your most valuable ally in your struggles to get rid of extra weight, lead a healthy lifestyle, and cultivate an energetic character.

You might have heard about a miraculous exotic fruit from Brazil which is rumored to provide countless health benefits: the Acai berries. Also, you might have heard that Acai works wonders as super food to promote weight loss; well, if so you’ll probably be happy to realize that such rumors are by no means an overstatement: Acai berries are genuinely one of nature’s premium gifts for everyone who’s interested in losing a few pounds. This is because this berry is a natural mixture of several essential fatty acids of the good kind, as well as a remarkable amount of fiber, amino acids and phytosterols. These chemicals work together with a single diuretic purpose: empower your body with a heightened metabolism.

There are several chemicals which are oftentimes synthesized and used separately to encourage our bodies to process food more quickly and efficiently and burn body fat with less effort. Surprisingly, several such chemicals occur naturally in this dark, grape-like exotic fruit, the Acai. For example, fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential to maintain an effective metabolism, but our bodies can’t produce them naturally. Another kinds of acids which our bodies can produce but can never get enough is Amino Acids, which are used to help build up muscles.

Since Acai berries include a substantial amount of both acids, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to think about the combined effect: increased metabolism + facilitated building of muscles = drastically improved weight loss ability. Eating this fruit regularly will effectively speed up your metabolism, and thus cause your exercising to provide double the effect it would under normal circumstances. And this is only about half of the positive effect that can be obtained from including Acai berries in your diet.

Another shining example of a substance which helps your body process food more easily is fibers, which we all know about. Fibers facilitate digestion and encourage the elimination of excess food, rather than its absorption as fat. When put together with Phytosterols – a substance which helps your body absorb nutrients and pass along waste – it goes without saying that your digestive tract will get a noticeable boost, and as a result, you’ll feel an amazing energy boost and unimaginable well-being. And the good thing about Acai Berries is that not only does it contain all these substances, but it’s a surprisingly high concentration. So, by including Acai in your diet and exercise, your efforts will pay out four-fold, and since it’s a versatile and tasty fruit, you’ll get even more enjoyment out of losing weight.

Ripe Acai Berries

Harvested from palm trees in the Amazon rainforest, acai berries have been found to pack quite a punch in providing nutrients and a number of important health benefits. The berries provide omega fatty acids, iron, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, lipids, antioxidants, and vitamins B1 and B2, just to name a few. When these nutrients are combined into a single serving, the results are astounding and range from aiding in cardiovascular health and in combating premature aging, healthy, natural digestion, a boost in energy, sharpened brain activities, muscle regeneration, and an anti-inflammatory.

Because an impressive amount of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants are included in every acai berry, making it the most healthful fruit known to man, it is important to retain those benefits when preparing the fruit for consumption; the more they are broken down, the more the product begins resembling the goodness of any other fruit product, such as orange juice or mixed, dried fruit. What makes acai berries so special is that a single berry holds a long list of vitamins, minerals and nutrients including omega fatty acids, iron, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, lipids, antioxidants, and vitamins B1 and B2. Products that retain as many and as much of these nutrients as possible are the best of the acai products, and these products are prepared in specific ways.

One of the first things to take into consideration is that the amount of acai berry within a product can be misleading. For instance, the more acai content does always correlate to a higher nutritional content. Even though a product may include a high percentage of acai, the fruit may have been broken down to the point that it has lost much of its original goodness, whereas another product may feature a smaller percentage yet a higher nutritional value. What is important is finding out how the product was made, and what parts of the berry was used in making it.

There are two ways of preparing acai berries that successfully retains most of their original nutritional value. The first method is by freezing the fruit pulp after the berries are harvested, and making the pulp into a product (juice, smoothie packet, capsule, etc.) with the least amount of additives as possible. That way, the product includes a high percentage of unadulterated fruit with the least amount of unnatural additives. The second method of making a product with the most benefits possible from the acai fruit is by processing the harvested berries into a freeze-dried powder. This method preserves both the long list of nutrients that the acai berries offer, as well as the high amounts of antioxidants that are present in the fruit.

acai berries

Consider this: The acai berry grows naturally in the rainforest of the Amazon, where it has been an important part of the diets of the indigenous tribes living in that region for years. After it was discovered that the dark, little berries consisted of such a large percentage of the native’s diet, providing them with much of the nutrition that they need, the berries were taken to a lab and studied. There it was found that the fruit does, in fact, hold a wealth of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. What was truly surprising, though, is that acai holds more concentrated goodness than does any other fruit or vegetable in the world.

Soon after news of this discovery began spreading, a number of companies began their own independent studies as to how to harness the berry’s health benefits into a marketable and affordable product. As these products began to be released onto the market, consumers purchased them and began experiencing the same benefits that that Amazonian tribes had known for years, including a strengthened cardiovascular system, improved digestion, a marked rise in energy, as well as a number of other positive health benefits.

One of the main contents of the acai berry that is essential in its energy giving capabilities are lipids. Lipids are energy carrying molecules such as those that help to make up healthy fatty acids (triglycerides, phospholipids, etc.). These fatty acids are known to aid it storing and dispersing energy throughout the points in the body that need it most, as well as strengthening signal pathways, thus helping to aid in sharpness of thought and fighting the mind-cloudiness of fatigue.

For those needing a boost of fiber in their diets, acai berries provide a large dose of dietary fiber, as much as three grams, to aid in healthy, natural digestion. Also, exercisers and active movers can appreciate the energy boost that the acai berry provides, as well as the muscle regeneration benefits of amino acid complex combined with the fruit’s trace minerals.

As stated by a number of medical research studies concerning the effects of consuming acai berries, the high levels of antioxidants present in the fruit (antocyanins) aid in combating premature aging and cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants have been promoted for years as a key element in red wine that aids in promoting a heart healthy diet, but the amount of antioxidants present within the acai berry are approximately twenty-times more that those present in wine. Additionally, the fatty acids present in the fruit provide the same health advantages as consuming olive oil, another key factor to a heart healthy diet.

With its concentration of omega fatty acids, iron, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, and vitamins B1 and B2, the acai berry has began to be known as the healthiest fruit known to man. Also, because it is available in a variety of forms (liquid, capsule, powder, etc), it offers a flexible form nutrition for the needs of those wishing to lead fit, trim, and heart healthy lives.