Acai berries have been all the rage lately and making headlines everywhere for everything from curing cancer to losing weight. Can they really cure cancer and, even more importantly, can they help you lose weight?
“If Bernard Madoff were in the food business, he’d be offering ‘free’ trials of açai-based weight-loss products.”
David Schardt – CSPI senior nutritionist
Research shows that the acai berry have anti-oxidants that protect the body from damage caused by what are known as “free radicals”. Basically, any food that contains anti-oxidants can help to mitigate the destructive effect of free radicals. These molecules are created by natural processes in the body like breathing or the digestion of food. Free radicals are unstable molecules that try to bond with other molecules causing the molecules to be weakened or damaged. Everything from old age, disease and damage to tissue has been blamed on the effects of free radicals.
There are many common foods that contain these anti-oxidants in abundant supply. Berries, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic and red grapes are all rich sources. With so many easily attainable foods that provide anti-oxidants why suddenly all the hype about an exotic, relatively unknown source like acai berries? The common themes that seem to run through most of the claims are that acai berries help to burn fat faster while cutting down on feelings of hunger, torquing up your metabolism and flushing your body of all the toxins that are preventing your body from being young and beautiful.
How do they get away with making claims like this if they’re not true? In the United States, drugs are rigorously tested and regulated and there has to be convincing evidence obtained through clinical trials before they can be marketed. With over-the-counter supplements there is far less regulation so manufacturers can get away with exaggerating the health benefits of what they’re selling without proof that can stand up to scrutiny.
This is not to say that there are no benefits of consuming acai berry supplements. Besides the anti-oxidants, acai berries contain monounsaturated fats. Unlike trans fats and polyunsaturated fats these fats are known as the “good fats” because they have some some health benefits. Substituting good fats for bad fats leads to improving cholesterol levels, anti-inflammation and a decrease in the incidence of breast cancer. Other good sources of monounsaturated fats, which by the way are much cheaper and easier to obtain than acai berries, are avocados, dark chocolate, olives and sunflower oil.
If you’re still thinking of trying acai berry supplements, you would be wise to be wary of the many web sites offering free trials of acai berry weight loss products. In 2009 the Center for Science in the Public Interest published a report warning consumers not to fall for supposedly free trials of diet supplements made with acai berries. According to CSPI, “There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that acai pills will help shed pounds, flatten tummies, cleanse colons, enhance sexual desire, or perform any of the other commonly advertised functions. And thousands of consumers have had trouble stopping recurrent charges on their credit cards when they cancel their free trials”.
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