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Acai Berry Antioxidants Fight Free Radicals

Free radicals are created by the body to take care of intruders like viruses and bacteria. There are other free radicals, though, that are not helpful at all. These are free radicals that may cause disease, illness, early aging, and more. These free radicals may come from pollution, cigarette smoke, and the like. When the body has enough antioxidants to handle the free radicals there is no problem. However, when there are too many free radicals for the antioxidants to control then the body is damaged. Free radicals are the enemy and antioxidants help eliminate the enemy. That is why it is important to get as many antioxidants in your diet as possible.

Benefits of Antioxidants

There are many benefits of antioxidants and the Acai berry has a very high percentage of these elements. That means those who consume the Acai berry on a regular basis will have extra protection from the antioxidants in the berry. The antioxidants will help fight aging, diseases, and other health problems free radicals might cause.

The antioxidants, including vitamins E and C, fight free radicals by neutralizing them. Antioxidants actually patrol the body in search of free radicals to eliminate them in order to keep the body’s cells and tissue healthy. Vitamin C fights free radicals from things like pollutants while vitamin E is fat soluble. The Acai berry is high in both of these vitamins.

The body stays healthier with antioxidants. They help keep the heart healthy as well as fight cancer cells from forming. Artery plaque is often diminished by sufficient intake of vitamin E. Vitamin C is a great way to reduce one’s risk of getting cancers like mouth and esophageal. Since Acai has high levels of vitamins E and C it is a great way to protect the body from illness.

It has been proven that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits with high levels of antioxidants like vitamins E and C have lower levels of illness and disease. Eating foods with these antioxidants in them is better than taking supplements of these vitamins. Because of this you may want to consider taking Acai berry supplements to increase your level of antioxidants and reduce your risk of illness and disease.



Acai Extract For Weight Loss

Mark Ransome asked:

The Acai (pronounced ah-SAH-ee) berry is the latest super antioxidant food sweeping the world. This small round fruit is produced by the Acai Palm which is native to Central and South America floodplains and swamps. The fruit is rich in anthocyanin / anthocyanidin phytonutrients which are members of the flavonoid class of antioxidants. The dark purple berry, which tastes something like a blend of berries and chocolate, supposedly contains 10 to 30 times the flavonoids contained in red wine. The pulp is also rich in B vitamins, minerals, protein, Vitamin E, caffeine, fiber and essential fatty acids (such as Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9). This wonder food is purported to fight cancer, control cholesterol, increase energy, improve your sex life and help you lose weight. The University of Florida is studying its cancer fighting properties and Dr. Nicholas Perricone has recommended it as one of his “top 10 superfoods for age-defying beauty” on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, and in an article in “Oprah” magazine and also in his book “The Perricone Promise”. This little berry has been touted as one of the most nutritious and healthy foods in the world.

The studies being conducted at the University of Florida have determined that the Brazilian berry destroys cultured leukemia cancer cells. This study was not intended to show whether acai berries could prevent leukemia in people as it was only a cell-culture model. This is not a unique effect as other fruits such as grapes, guavas and mangoes contained antioxidant products that also destroyed cultured cancer cells. A lot of claims are being made but research has just started on the acai berry. Another study is underway to investigate the effects of acai’s antioxidants on human subjects.

The acai berry is a small dark blue fruit, similar in size to a blueberry or small grape but with less pulp, that grows in clusters or panicles of approximately 800 berries on Acai palm trees. The tribes of the Amazon knew of the health properties of this fruit for centuries and traditionally pulped it to make wine. The berries contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed. These palms are extremely prevalent in the floodplain areas of the Amazon River and are easy to cultivate as a replacement tree in areas where the rain forest has been destroyed. The slender palms grow from 40 to 80 feet tall and have leaves up to 10 feet long. Each palm can produce more than 50 pounds of berries annually. The harvesting of this powerful antioxidant rich product has become a major industry in Brazil and employs up to 30,000 people on a daily basis to harvest and process the product. Unfortunately the fruit deteriorates rapidly after harvesting (active properties can disappear after 24 hours) and so it is restricted to being eaten in the growing region or being processed and shipped as juice or frozen pulp. This industry has become an economic and environmentally-friendly alternative to unsustainable harvesting of hearts of palm, logging and conversion of the rain forest to farming or ranching. During the last decade in Brazil, acai has become a major food fad and Brazilians consume the frozen pulp alone or in yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, drinks, fruit or as a cereal topping. The frozen pulp tastes like a blueberry sorbet or ice cream with a hint of chocolate.

Acai can be difficult to find outside of South America although the frozen pulp and juices are starting to be imported into the US and Canada. Your best chance of finding the product is in health food stores or the health food section of your supermarket. Make sure that the acai berry is wild harvested and quickly frozen to retain its maximum nutrient value. Also in the US, acai is being sold as an ingredient in a number of beverages, and as frozen fruit that can be added to home-made smoothies as well as in health food extracts and supplements.

Click Here To Try Out The Acai Berries Diet For Free

Petrea Dishman asked:

For many years, the Acai berry (ah-sah-ee) has been a well-kept secret of the Amazon rainforest and it has only been on the market for about the last 5 years. The rainforests of the Amazon are thought to hold the key to treating many ailments and common diseases, and for thousands of years the indigenous peoples of the Amazon region have known about the many health-enhancing benefits of the Acai berry.

The Acai berry grows wild on top of many palm trees that are native to the rainforests of Brazil and the Amazon basin. Local farmers in the area harvest the fruit of the tree, and it is used to make a healthful fruit pulp. This fruit pulp is then quickly frozen in order to preserve its nutrient value.

The Acai berry itself is a deep purple color, and it is quite rich in a number of important nutrients, including many of the most valuable antioxidant vitamins.

ENERGY, HEART HEALTH: The Acai berry will give you a high energy boost. It is also thought to have a significant impact on heart health, and on the health of the cardiovascular system. In particular, the Acai berry contains a very high concentration of compounds known as anthocyanins. These compounds are the same ones thought to be responsible for giving red wine its widely reported health benefits. However the Acai berry has 10 to 30 times more anthocyanins then does red wine.

LOWERS CHOLESTEROL LEVELS: In addition to these anthocyanins, Acai berries are known to contain large amounts of protein and fiber, as well as both omega-6, which lowers cholesterol levels and omega-9 fatty acids, which lowers LDL cholesterol levels and maintains natural HDL cholesterol levels. These omega fatty acids have been studied for years as a way to protect the heart from damage, and reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood, thereby providing possible protection from heart attacks, strokes and other common cardiovascular complications.

These anthocyanins are known to have significant health benefits, and they are the subjects of many studies. Many people are looking for ways to capture the many health benefits that have been associated with the consumption of red wine, but without the calories and other negative consequences of red wine consumption. The rich, delicious fruit of the acai berry may be able to provide these important health benefits.

ANTI-AGING: Perhaps the most important health benefit of the acai berry, however, is its strong impact on the aging process. As a matter of fact, the acai berry is generally acknowledged to be one of the top superfoods for anti-aging. The amino acids and vital trace minerals found in the Acai berry aid in proper muscle contraction and regeneration, thereby slowing damaging effects to the skin that cause signs of aging. The fatty acid found in the Acai berry is similar to that of olive oil and is high in monounsaturated oleic acid. This fatty acid combined with Omega 3 fish oils penetrates cell membranes and makes them suppler. This allows for hormones, neurotransmitters and Insulin Receptors to operate more efficiently, which greatly reduces inflammation, inflammation being one of the leading causes of Aging.

HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS, DESTROY CANCER CELLS: The antioxidant benefits of the acai berry, combined with the fatty acids it contains, make this one of the most important superfoods on the market. The Acai berry is thought to have an antioxidant content which is a full 10 times greater than that found in grapes, and twice as high as those found in blueberries. As a matter of fact, the acai berry is widely acknowledged to have the highest nutritional value of any fruit in the world, and this has earned it the acai berry the title of superfood. These antioxidants destroy cancer cells. A study done by the University of Florida and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in January of 2006 did research that showed that the antioxidants in the Acai berry triggered a self-destruct response in 86% of the cultured Leukemia cancer cells tested.

Additional information: For such a tiny fruit, the Acai berry seems to have a great many heart healthy benefits, and the secret that has been part of Amazon culture for thousands of years is slowly spreading to the rest of the world. The Acai berry is a rich source of antioxidant vitamins, protein, fiber and heart protecting fatty acids, and it has an important role to play in protecting our good health.

Acai berries can be purchased whole and eaten as part of a healthy diet, but they are most often encountered in juice form. Acai berry juice is widely available both in health food stores and from many Internet retailers. As with other kinds of juice, it is important to ensure that the Acai berry juice you buy is made with 100% pure juice, and that it contains no artificial ingredients or added sugar.

As the popularity of the Acai berry continues to grow, and as its value to good health continues to get out, it is likely that this little purple fruit will become more widely available. In coming years, Acai berries are likely to be available at traditional grocery stores and supermarkets in addition to health food stores and Internet retailers.

When choosing between products made with the Acai berry, it is important to choose only the highest quality products, and to look for products that have been frozen quickly after harvest. How the Acai berries are handled after harvest can have a significant impact on their health benefits, so it is important to buy your Acai berry juice from those who use the best manufacturing methods.

Acai Perricone Diet