Acai Benefits -
Is It All Just a Bunch of Hype?

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Acai and the Conditions it Treats

Arthritis
Cancer
Cholesterol
Fibromyalgia
Heart Disease
Inflammation
Stress

Buying Guide & Tips

Acai benefits have been in the media a lot lately. Some Acai (pronounced "ah-SIGH-ee") supplements and juices only include Acai and usually use that as a major selling point.

They use the word "pure" and talk as if other fruits and vegetables are "fillers" and "sweeteners". That's not necessarily the case. Buying a product that has only one major ingredient increases the amount of money you end up having to spend to get the variety your body needs.

Just make sure you aren't paying for watered down versions (meaning one of the ingredients is water), or if in capsule form, make sure it's not filled with useless fillers that don't add to the benefits you'd get otherwise.

You won't be able to get your Acai benefits directly from the fruit unless you live where it grows in Brazil. That's because the fruit goes bad very quickly and can't be shipped "fresh" the way other fruits and vegetables are.

Because it must be processed into a stable form before shipping, look for freeze dried Acai rather than sun dried or heat dried. This will ensure that you get the best Acai benefits available outside of the Amazon.

Another important thing to look for when buying an Acai juice is whether the Acai has been filtered or clarified. Companies will sometimes do this to make it more clear looking in the bottle. (Think of grape juice rather than a grape smoothie.)

Filtering the Acai may make it look more appealing or refreshing, but it unfortunately takes out most of the Acai benefits. The good stuff is in the pulp.

The Acai berry is being studied for so many different health benefits, but frankly, you have to be very careful when purchasing your product. In summary, here's a list of what to look for:

Organic - most of the produce from Brazil is Organic, but the processing of the product itself may not meet those same standards.
Unfiltered/Not Clarified – You should not be able to see through the juice when it's poured into a clear glass.
No fillers such as water (if a juice) or stearic acid, magnesium stearate, or gelatin if in pill form.
Watch out for scamming companies that will give you a free trial and take your credit card number for shipping. The fine print puts you into a monthly agreement for automatic payments and rarely do you get the product. They are very difficult to cancel or get your money back. Do some checking on the company before giving out your credit card info.
False claims of weight loss or detoxifying - According to Dr. Schauss (an author and leading authority on Acai), there are no studies to date on the Acai berry having any affect on either weight loss or detoxification.

My Own Experience...

I've had some experience with Acai benefits when the fad was first starting out. The product I used was a really high quality one (and expensive) but it really did the trick for about 3 months.

My problem was that because my ability to process sugar of any kind was so poor (and still is), the sugary fruit juice became too much for my system and my Fibromyalgia flared up horribly. This was before I realized that I had an overgrowth of Candida that was causing my Fibro symptoms, or I wouldn't have taken it at all.

But for those who don't have a problem processing natural sugars, Acai juice can be of real benefit I think.

Now having just said all that, I realize that one of the Acai benefits is relieving Fibromyalgia pain. Without getting too far into it (you can check out my Fibromyalgia page here), don't drink sweet juice of any kind if your Fibro is caused by Candida.

Not everyone who has Fibromyalgia has a problem with sugar, although a high percentage likely do - it depends on what is causing it.

Acai does help with inflammation, and a lot of the Fibro pain is caused by inflammation.

Dosage:

There's no real dosage to Acai specifically, although every supplement or juice will have a recommended serving size. Read the nutritional information on the label of your particular brand of Acai to find out the caloric intake and grams of sugar, etc. Additional ingredients vary by distributor and so there is no set standard.

Conditions This Remedy Treats:

(Clicking on the name of underlined conditions below will take you to the page that discusses the causes and other remedies for that particular condition.)

Because of the high antioxidant, phytonutrient and flavonoid content, Acai benefits any condition that is caused or made worse by oxidative stress and/or inflammation, such as:

Arthritis
Cancer
Cholesterol
Fibromyalgia
Heart Disease
Inflammation
Stress

We would love to hear from you if you use Acai for something that's not on this list and how well it works for you. With your permission, we'd love to add it to our list of Acai benefits. Click here to let us know.

General Properties:

The name of this small purple berry is pronounced "ah-sigh-ee" and it grows on a tall slender palm tree in Brazil. The fruit matures and is harvested twice a year and is 80% seed. The purple variety is what is most commonly used in juices and supplements (there is also a green variety).

The seed is usually ground and used in feed for livestock or added to soil for plants. Of course some are re-planted to grow more trees. The pulp and exocarp (skin) are used as food locally, actually comprising up to 42% of the local's food intake by weight.

The nutritional content of the Acai is complex but in raw form it is very high in antioxidants, good fats, and phytonutrients. A summary of its properties include:

A protein profile similar to an egg
A fatty-acid profile similar to olive oil
More than 3000 phytonutrients and antioxidants
Dietary fiber
A low glycemic index (meaning safe for Diabetics)
Large amounts of essential fatty-acids and omegas (linoleic acid and oleic acid), proven to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol
Large amounts of vitamins and minerals and a wealth of micro-nutrients

Possible Side Effects:

The only possible side effect I've encountered with Acai was a mild laxative effect in one person we know. This could have simply been a cleansing reaction. If this happens to you, go ahead an lower your dosage from whatever was recommended and work up to the regular dosage over a week or two.

Be aware that a lot of Acai products mix it with other ingredients. Please be sure to read the ingredients list for things that you may already have unpleasant reactions to.

Drug Interactions:

So far we haven't found any drug that Acai interacts with.

Did You Know…?

Acai has been a staple in the diet of the people of the Amazon all the way back to prehistoric times.
When the people of Brazil who regularly eat Acai at almost every meal were taken off their regular diet for a few days, they noticed a significant difference in energy levels and in stress levels.
The Acai palm can be harvested twice a year and is still harvested in its natural rain forest habitat rather than in cultivation.
The Acai industry in Brazil is helping to save the rainforest by stopping the harvesting of palm hearts which kill the Acai tree.
Some charts of ORAC values comparing different fruits to Acai don't explain what form of Acai was used (fresh, freeze dried, sundried, etc.) and also compare differing amounts in small print. (e.g. 100 grams of Mangosteen having a higher ORAC score than 1 gram of Acai)