"Acai Berry - The Miracle Fruit That Can Help You Shed Those Extra Pounds"

You've probably never heard of the acai berry, but, according to American television personality Oprah, and best-selling author and anti-aging expert Dr. Nicholas Perricone; it is the world's best super food.

Not only does it help with weight loss, it may help to increase your energy levels, increase your libido and lower your blood pressure. It may even help you to look younger.

In fact, it is thought to have the best overall nutritional value of any fruit on earth.

But, unless you live in the Amazon rain forest, you're not going to be able to pick up the fresh form of this fruit. Does acai warrant all the hype? What forms does acai come in?

In this article I explore some of the health benefits you can obtain from eating this berry.

Acai Helps to Promote Weight Loss

First of all, the acai berry is probably not some magic nutrient from the Amazon that will help you lose weight. However, the amino acids, antioxidants and phytosterols in these fruits, can help your body to work better and burn fat more efficiently.

The acai berry contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which, according to Australian researchers, can help to burn off excess weight, in conjunction with moderate levels of exercise. It seems that omega-3 fatty acids improve the body's fat burning abilities, by increasing the flow of blood to the muscle during exercise.

In a study of 68 overweight individuals given fish oil capsules, which contain omega-3 fatty acids; that participated in three periods of moderate exercise each week, they lost an average of 4 1/2 pounds during this time.

This number becomes more significant, when you realize that these individuals basically ate anything they wanted.

Acai Can Help You Look Younger

The United States Department of Agriculture has performed studies on the connection between foods that are rich in antioxidants and aging. The USDA has a method of determining the levels of antioxidants in foods. It's called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Score (ORAC for short).

Here's how the acai berry scored against blueberries, apples and banannas. The ORAC, or antioxidant score for these berries, was 5,500. Blueberries were 2,400, apples were 218 and bananas were 221.

According to the USDA, foods that have a high ORAC value, may help to slow the aging process in both body and mind.

Acai Provides Protection against Heart Disease

The essential fatty acids and antioxidants in acai berries provide protection against heart disease, by lowering levels of the bad, or LDL, cholesterol levels; while maintaining the levels of the good, or HDL, cholesterol levels.

Acai also contains phytosterols, which are a type of plant chemical that function to reduce cholesterol absorption in the intestines. Research indicates that plant phytosterols, can help lower cholesterol levels by as much as 15%.

It May Also Be a Potent Cancer Fighter

In one study done by the University of Florida, which was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that the acai berry caused cancerous leukemia cells to self-destruct, 86% of the time in a test tube.

However, more research needs to be done to see what effect it has on human subjects.

Acai's Nutritional Content

The acai berry is a very nutritious fruit. First of all, acai contains large amounts of amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids which help promote the formation of muscle tissue during exercise. These two nutrients are also very important for proper functioning of the muscles.

These berries also contains various antioxidants including vitamins A, C and E and also contain chemicals known as anthocyanins, which are highly nutritious antioxidants that give fruits and vegetables their colors.

Their antioxidant content is 10 times greater than that of grapes, and twice the amount found in blueberries. In addition the minerals calcium, copper, magnesium and zinc are also found in acai.

The acai berry contains 30 times the anthocyanins content that is typically found in red wine.

The French have much lower levels of heart disease than their surrounding neighbors, even though their diets are essentially the same. This is because the French typically have a glass of wine with each meal.

This would mean that one serving of this fruit would provide 30 times the protection against heart disease than a glass of wine.

Acai berries also contain high amounts of amino acids. 19 different amino acids have been identified in acai.

Amino acids, of course, are the building blocks of protein. In one 100 gram serving of this fruit, you will get over 8 grams of protein.

Three different plant sterols have been identified in this fruit including: B-sitosterol, campesterol and sigmasterol. These sterols play an important role in helping maintain normal digestive and heart function.

These fruits also contain large amounts of dietary fiber, which help with digestion.

Other Conditions Acai May Help Treat

Here is a list of a few other conditions they may help with:

• They can make falling asleep easier each night
  
• They can increase your libido
  
• They can lower your blood pressure
  
• They can improve the digestive process
  
• They can increase energy and stamina levels
  
• They can reduce pain and soreness

What Forms Does It Come in?

Even though you can't buy the fresh form of the acai berry in the northern hemisphere, there are several companies that have bottled the juice from this berry, most notably one called Mona Vie.

From Mona Vie's appearance, you would think you are buying a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, it is an expensive one at that. At one site, it was selling for over $45 a bottle, with a case of four bottles going for $160.

But I was able to find one site that offered a capsule version of acai, including a free sample at: acaiberry

From the photograph of the bottle on the site, it appears they will send you a bottle of 60 capsules free, so you could try it for a minimal price (you have to pay for shipping) to see if it works for you.

In conclusion, although the acai berry is not the miracle cure that some websites claim it to be, it appears to be a very healthy food that can provide protection against diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

If you're looking to find a food that is high in antioxidants and nutrients, this could be exactly what you're looking for. Acai could very well be the most powerful superfood on the planet.

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