Archive for the ‘Acai Berry History’ Category

Acai Anthocyanins: A Cure for Many Ills

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The numerous health benefits of acai berries have cast this little-known fruit into the spotlight. And the most promising of them all could be powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins.

Have you ever wondered why France has a low incidence of cardiovascular disease with all that fat in French cuisine? The answer could be in the volumes of red wine they consume. Red wine contains anthocyanins – believed to negate the effects of a fatty diet and smoking. What you’re getting from the Brazilian acai fruit is 30 percent more anthocyanins than red wine, without the alcohol associated with it.

The Value of Anthocyanins

Chronic inflammation – anthocyanins can prevent inflammation by neutralizing the enzymes that damage connective tissue. The anti-inflammatory capabilities of anthocyanins can help lower the risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, atherosclerosis, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Neurological disorders – oxidative damage in brain cells can lead to brain damage and brain trauma. Anthocyanins in the acai berry known as Cyanidin-3-glucoside can help in reversing age-related neurological deficits.

Cardiovascular disease – one of the terrific benefits of acai is its ability to lower cholesterol levels. Anthocyanins prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Elevated LDL levels can clog arteries and lead to atherosclerosis. Anthocyanins also prevent ischemia which increases capillary wall permeability, restricts blood flow, and often causes permanent capillary damage.

Blindness – retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes. When the body attempts to repair leaking capillaries, retinopathy occurs, which may lead to blindness. Anthocyanins prevent capillaries from leaking and control protein proliferation. Studies also show that anthocyanins can help you adapt better to light and dark as well as reduce eye fatigue.

Cancer – a recent experiment showed that anthocyanins from dark-colored fruits like the acai berry effectively halted colon cancer cell growth, killing approximately 20 percent of the malignant cells without damaging non-cancerous cells.

Anthocyanins are 6 to 8 times more potent than vitamin C. And the acai berry contains the most highly concentrated forms of anthocyanins among all other fruits and vegetables. Our ancestors knew then of the many benefits of acai – it’s time we make these berries a large part of our diets too.

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The Acai Palm Tree: Brazil’s best kept secret

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

The acai palm tree is one of eight palm species classified under the genus Euterpe. Pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”, acai grows abundantly in the floodplains and swamps of Central and South America where the tropical climate is friendly to this blackish purple drupe.

Acai palm trees are grown for their fruits and hearts. While it has been a staple food for many years in Brazil, the acai berry has become extremely popular in the US in recent years that global demand has gone through the roof.

Similar to grapes, the acai palm tree produces berries in bunches, going from a green color to a dark rich purple as they ripen. Acai fruits are round, with a single large seed enclosed in a fibrous pulp covered with an oily skin coating. One acai palm tree can produce four to eight bunches a year, with each bunch weighing up to 6 kilograms.

For hundreds of years, Brazilians have been using oil from the acai fruit to treat diarrhea. They also add shredded acai rind to topical wash solutions for skin ulcers. In Peru, acai seeds are ground, toasted and applied to fevers. In Colombia, the acai, also called naidi, is a very popular gastronomic delight.

Along the banks of the Amazon River, natives consume acai like water. They extract the juice by first soaking the fruit in water. Once the skin is softened, the acai is squeezed and strained to produce a dark purple liquid. Acai extracts are consumed as fresh fruit juice or added to ice cream, liquor and sweet snacks. Amazonians drink up to 2 liters of acai juice per day.

From the time of tribal wars among Amazon warriors to modern Rio de Janeiro, juice from the acai berry has been and remains an important part of South American diet.

The secret behind those beautiful Brazilian bodies is bunched up there in the acai palm tree.

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