Açaí is a dark, grape like berry that is grown from the açaí palm tree found in Central and South America and is well known for its status as a superfood.
This fruit is known for its blended flavor of berry and dark chocolate and is a relative of cranberries and blueberries.
The açaí berry is often consumed for its benefits and high levels of antioxidants and is available in a wide variety of forms, from the actual fruit to juice, powders, tablets and capsules.
These berries are packed with vitamins A, C, and E. They are also a good source of calcium, iron, thiamine, 19 essential amino acids, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber.
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Antioxidants and Pain
This tiny little berry, which strongly resembles a blueberry in appearance, contains one of the highest antioxidant values of all the superfoods, which attributes to its suggested ability to help prevent chronic diseases.
For years this berry has been studied for its ability to be a COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor, which is a known pain reliever and anti-inflammatory.
The anti-inflammatory properties are one of the man reason it is on our Detox Organics supplement.
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A recent study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food looked at the effects açaí on people that had osteoarthritis, a painful condition, and it found that after 3 months it concluded that antioxidant levels went up and pain was reduced.
Cardiovascular Health
The açaí berry is great at improving and protecting cardiovascular health. A study conducted at the University Rio de Janeiro shows that the consumption of açaí induced long-lasting endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the abdominal vascular tissue of rats, which has been shown to improve cardiovascular health.
This amazing superfood can also help improve your cholesterol levels by lowering the your total, non-HDL, cholesterol.
Brain Function
When it comes to the effect on your brain, the açaí is an effective superfood. This berry has been shown to have positive effects in the treatment of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Immune System
This flavorful little superfood is packed with vitamin c, which is known for boosting the immune system. In an in vitro study, freeze dried açaí pulp and skin powder was shown to increase macrophage activity, increasing the body’s ability to fight off infection.
Longevity
The high levels of antioxidants that are found in açaí berries are known to help slow down the aging process. It does this by removing the free radicals that cause the breakdown of hair, teeth and skin. These free radicals also have a great impact on our eye health.
As mentioned, açaí can help prevent age-related neurodegenerative diseases and so helps to preserve the longevity of our mind, keeping it sharp and healthy.
How to get all the benefits of açaí
As shown above, there are many ways for someone to consume açaí.
Today it is available in so many different forms that it can be eaten as a delicious treat, thrown into a smoothie or simply taken like any other supplement. However you decide to consume it, this is one little berry you want to make sure to include in your diet.
Because açaí is so beneficial, this is why we have made sure to include it in Detox Organics, which is one of the best ways to consume it.
Although this berry already tastes great on its own, adding a bit of Detox Organics a couple times a day makes sure that you get all the nutrients from the açaí, but you are also sure to get all the benefits of consuming so many other superfoods as well.
Plus, Detox Organics tastes even better than just consuming the açaí berry.
References:
Jensen, G. S., Ager, D. M., Redman, K. A., Mitzner, M. A., Benson, K. F., & Schauss, A. G. (2011). Pain Reduction and Improvement in Range of Motion After Daily Consumption of an Açai (Euterpe oleraceaMart.) Pulp–Fortified Polyphenolic-Rich Fruit and Berry Juice Blend. Journal of Medicinal Food,14(7-8), 702-711. doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0150
Marcason, W. (2009). What Is the Açaí Berry and Are There Health Benefits? Journal of the American Dietetic Association,109(11), 1968. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2009.09.017
Primack, J. (2014). Conquering any disease: the ultimate high-phytochemical food-healing system. United States: Press On Qi Productions. Print.
Schauss, A. G., Wu, X., Prior, R. L., Ou, B., Huang, D., Owens, J., . . . Shanbrom, E. (2006). Antioxidant Capacity and Other Bioactivities of the Freeze-Dried Amazonian Palm Berry,Euterpe oleraceaeMart. (Acai). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,54(22), 8604-8610. doi:10.1021/jf0609779
Spada, P. D., Dani, C., Bortolini, G. V., Funchal, C., Henriques, J. A., & Salvador, M. (2009). Frozen Fruit Pulp of Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (Acai) Prevents Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Damage in the Cerebral Cortex, Cerebellum, and Hippocampus of Rats. Journal of Medicinal Food,12(5), 1084-1088. doi:10.1089/jmf.2008.0236
Ulbricht, C., Brigham, A., Burke, D., Costa, D., Giese, N., Iovin, R., . . . Windsor, R. (2012). An Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Acai (Euterpe oleracea) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration. Journal of Dietary Supplements,9(2), 128-147. doi:10.3109/19390211.2012.686347