Acai Berry Nutritional Benefits

The Açaí berry on the Oprah Winfrey Web site lists the berry as the world’s #1 super food for health and age defying beauty! Oprah’s Web site called Açaí berries “one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world”. Dr. Nicholas Perricone wrote in his book, The Perricone Promise, the Açaí fruit with “Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature’s perfect energy fruit.” Dr. Nicolas Perricone has given great praise to the Brazilian berry.
The Açaí Berry is a small, round, fruit about 25mm (1 inch) in diameter, with a dark-purple color. The Açaí berry grows on Palm trees located in the Amazon. The cluster grows like a grape on a vine in bunches of 700 to 900 berries. This energy boosting super food is harvested in the rainforests of Brazil twice a year in Spring and Fall.
The strength of Açaí has been measured by a large number of studies. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay was developed in 1992 at the National Institute of Aging. ORAC measures how much a particular food inhibits the activity of free radicals. The  results of the test were so clear it is now used by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in massive scientific research.
A current report using modernized testing on a freeze-dried Açaí powder showed a high antioxidant effect with an ORAC value of 1026; compared to the ORAC value of broccoli is 130, and for Spinach it is 150. A study in 2006 with the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showed that extracts from the Açaí fruit triggered a death of cells in response in to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested.
Interestingly enough the Açaí berry, has been used by ancient and modern inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest for centuries, has never been heard of by most people. Açaí has a protein comparable to eggs, has 20 phytonutrients, a monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat ratio identical to olive oil, and a blood-sugar-friendly glycemic index. The American Diabetes Association lists Mona Vie (a blend of 19 fruits and berries with the Açaí berry being its hidden treasure) on their approved lists of foods.
The Açaí berry is packed with Polyphenol (a generic name for potent plant antioxidants) and boasts up to 30 times the Anthocyanin content of red wine! The Açaí berries are extremely rich with vitamins, and trace minerals including but not limited to iron, copper and calcium.
Many experts agree that Açaí may help with energy deficiencies, weight loss, immune problems, circulatory conditions, lowering cholesterol and sexual dysfunctions as well as other ailments

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