Açaí berries are touted for their antioxidant power, but does that translate into increased antioxidant capacity of your bloodstream when you eat them?
The Antioxidant Effects of Açai vs. Apples
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
There are so many açai products on the market now, from frozen pulp in smoothie packs to freeze-dried powder and supplements. How is it eaten traditionally? Amazonian tribes cut down the tree, eat its heart, and then pee on the stump to attract a certain type of beetle that lays these monster maggots. And so, a few weeks later, you’ve got three or four pounds of these suckers; so, you can make some grub-kabobs. I think I’ll just stick with my smoothie pack.
“Despite being used for a long time as food” in the Amazon, only since the beginning of this century have “açaí berries…been the object of scientific research.” Four years ago, I reviewed that research, starting with in vitro studies that showed that açai could kill leukemia cells in a petri dish at levels one might expect in one’s bloodstream eating a cup or two of açai pulp, or cutting the growth of colon cancer cells in half.
Unfortunately, subsequent studies published since then failed to find such benefit for that type of colon cancer, a different type of colon cancer, or an estrogen receptor negative form of breast cancer. An açai extract did appear to kill off a line of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells, but to achieve that level of açai nutrients in your breast, you’d have to sit down to like 400 cups of açai pulp.
That’s the problem with many of these petri dish studies: they use concentrations that you could never realistically achieve in your bloodstream. For example, açai berries may exert a neuroprotective effect, blocking the buildup of amyloid fibers implicated in Alzheimer’s—but only at a dose reached drinking maybe 2,000 cups at a time. Or, have an anti-allergy effect, or decrease bone loss—at a mere thousand cups a day.
But, I also talked about a clinical study in which folks were asked to drink less than a cup a day of açai in a smoothie, and appeared to get significant improvements in blood sugar, and insulin levels, and cholesterol. Now, there was no control group, and it was a small study, but there’d never been a bigger study to try to replicate it—until now.
Same amount of açai, for the same duration, but no significant improvements in blood sugars, insulin, or cholesterol. Huh? Why did this study fail to show the benefits seen in the first study? Well, this study was publicly funded—”no conflicts of interest”—whereas the first study was funded by an açai company, which always makes you suspect that maybe the study was somehow designed to get the desired result. And, indeed, the study participants were not just given açai smoothies, but explicitly told to avoid processed meat (like “bacon and hot dogs”). No wonder their numbers looked better at the end of the month.
Now, the new study did find a decrease in markers of oxidative stress in the participants’ bloodstream—a sign of how antioxidant-rich açai berries can be. Those that hock supplements love to talk about how açai consumption can “triple antioxidant capacity;” “triple the antioxidant capacity of [your] blood.”
And, if you look at the study they cite, yes, there was a tripling in antioxidant capacity of the blood after eating açai. But there was the same, or even better, tripling after just plain applesauce, which was used as a control, and is significantly cheaper than açai berries or supplements.
There was a new study showing significant improvements in artery function after eating açai berries, but any more than commoner fruits and vegetables? We’ll find out, next.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Ulbricht C, Brigham A, Burke D, Costa D, Giese N, Iovin R, Grimes Serrano JM, Tanguay-Colucci S, Weissner W, Windsor R. An evidence-based systematic review of acai (Euterpe oleracea) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration. J Diet Suppl. 2012 Jun;9(2):128-47.
- Alqurashi RM, Galante LA, Rowland IR, Spencer JP, Commane DM. Consumption of a flavonoid-rich açai meal is associated with acute improvements in vascular function and a reduction in total oxidative status in healthy overweight men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov;104(5):1227-1235.
- de Moura RS, Resende ÂC. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Effects of Açaí, an Amazon Plant. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2016 Jul;68(1):19-26.
- Del Pozo-Insfran D, Percival SS, Talcott ST. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycoside and aglycone forms induce apoptosis of HL-60 leukemia cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1222-9.
- Silva DF, Vidal FC, Santos D, Costa MC, Morgado-Díaz JA, do Desterro Soares Brandão Nascimento M, de Moura RS. Cytotoxic effects of Euterpe oleracea Mart. in malignant cell lines. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 May 29;14:175.
- Wong DY, Musgrave IF, Harvey BS, Smid SD. Açaí (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) berry extract exerts neuroprotective effects against β-amyloid exposure in vitro. Neurosci Lett. 2013 Nov 27;556:221-6.
- Brito C, Stavroullakis AT, Ferreira AC, Li K, Oliveira T, Nogueira-Filho G, Prakki A. Extract of acai-berry inhibits osteoclast differentiation and activity. Arch Oral Biol. 2016 Aug;68:29-34.
- Horiguchi T, Ishiguro N, Chihara K, Ogi K, Nakashima K, Sada K, Hori-Tamura N. Inhibitory effect of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp on IgE-mediated mast cell activation. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 25;59(10):5595-601.
- Udani JK, Singh BB, Singh VJ, Barrett ML. Effects of Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) berry preparation on metabolic parameters in a healthy overweight population: a pilot study. Nutr J. 2011 May 12;10:45.
- Barbosa PO, Pala D, Silva CT, de Souza MO, do Amaral JF, Vieira RA, Folly GA, Volp AC, de Freitas RN. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp dietary intake improves cellular antioxidant enzymes and biomarkers of serum in healthy women. Nutrition. 2016 Jun;32(6):674-80.
- Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J, Jilma-Stohlawetz P, Pacheco-Palencia LA, Meibohm B, Talcott ST, Derendorf H. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10;56(17):7796-802.
- Plant Intelligence Guide Volume 1
Icons created by Egorova Valentina and Mint Shirt from The Noun Project
Images Rhynchophorus_palmarum and Suri_Iquitos_Peru thanks to Wikimedia, and Reinaldo Aguilar via Flickr.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video.
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
There are so many açai products on the market now, from frozen pulp in smoothie packs to freeze-dried powder and supplements. How is it eaten traditionally? Amazonian tribes cut down the tree, eat its heart, and then pee on the stump to attract a certain type of beetle that lays these monster maggots. And so, a few weeks later, you’ve got three or four pounds of these suckers; so, you can make some grub-kabobs. I think I’ll just stick with my smoothie pack.
“Despite being used for a long time as food” in the Amazon, only since the beginning of this century have “açaí berries…been the object of scientific research.” Four years ago, I reviewed that research, starting with in vitro studies that showed that açai could kill leukemia cells in a petri dish at levels one might expect in one’s bloodstream eating a cup or two of açai pulp, or cutting the growth of colon cancer cells in half.
Unfortunately, subsequent studies published since then failed to find such benefit for that type of colon cancer, a different type of colon cancer, or an estrogen receptor negative form of breast cancer. An açai extract did appear to kill off a line of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells, but to achieve that level of açai nutrients in your breast, you’d have to sit down to like 400 cups of açai pulp.
That’s the problem with many of these petri dish studies: they use concentrations that you could never realistically achieve in your bloodstream. For example, açai berries may exert a neuroprotective effect, blocking the buildup of amyloid fibers implicated in Alzheimer’s—but only at a dose reached drinking maybe 2,000 cups at a time. Or, have an anti-allergy effect, or decrease bone loss—at a mere thousand cups a day.
But, I also talked about a clinical study in which folks were asked to drink less than a cup a day of açai in a smoothie, and appeared to get significant improvements in blood sugar, and insulin levels, and cholesterol. Now, there was no control group, and it was a small study, but there’d never been a bigger study to try to replicate it—until now.
Same amount of açai, for the same duration, but no significant improvements in blood sugars, insulin, or cholesterol. Huh? Why did this study fail to show the benefits seen in the first study? Well, this study was publicly funded—”no conflicts of interest”—whereas the first study was funded by an açai company, which always makes you suspect that maybe the study was somehow designed to get the desired result. And, indeed, the study participants were not just given açai smoothies, but explicitly told to avoid processed meat (like “bacon and hot dogs”). No wonder their numbers looked better at the end of the month.
Now, the new study did find a decrease in markers of oxidative stress in the participants’ bloodstream—a sign of how antioxidant-rich açai berries can be. Those that hock supplements love to talk about how açai consumption can “triple antioxidant capacity;” “triple the antioxidant capacity of [your] blood.”
And, if you look at the study they cite, yes, there was a tripling in antioxidant capacity of the blood after eating açai. But there was the same, or even better, tripling after just plain applesauce, which was used as a control, and is significantly cheaper than açai berries or supplements.
There was a new study showing significant improvements in artery function after eating açai berries, but any more than commoner fruits and vegetables? We’ll find out, next.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Ulbricht C, Brigham A, Burke D, Costa D, Giese N, Iovin R, Grimes Serrano JM, Tanguay-Colucci S, Weissner W, Windsor R. An evidence-based systematic review of acai (Euterpe oleracea) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration. J Diet Suppl. 2012 Jun;9(2):128-47.
- Alqurashi RM, Galante LA, Rowland IR, Spencer JP, Commane DM. Consumption of a flavonoid-rich açai meal is associated with acute improvements in vascular function and a reduction in total oxidative status in healthy overweight men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov;104(5):1227-1235.
- de Moura RS, Resende ÂC. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Effects of Açaí, an Amazon Plant. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2016 Jul;68(1):19-26.
- Del Pozo-Insfran D, Percival SS, Talcott ST. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycoside and aglycone forms induce apoptosis of HL-60 leukemia cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1222-9.
- Silva DF, Vidal FC, Santos D, Costa MC, Morgado-Díaz JA, do Desterro Soares Brandão Nascimento M, de Moura RS. Cytotoxic effects of Euterpe oleracea Mart. in malignant cell lines. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 May 29;14:175.
- Wong DY, Musgrave IF, Harvey BS, Smid SD. Açaí (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) berry extract exerts neuroprotective effects against β-amyloid exposure in vitro. Neurosci Lett. 2013 Nov 27;556:221-6.
- Brito C, Stavroullakis AT, Ferreira AC, Li K, Oliveira T, Nogueira-Filho G, Prakki A. Extract of acai-berry inhibits osteoclast differentiation and activity. Arch Oral Biol. 2016 Aug;68:29-34.
- Horiguchi T, Ishiguro N, Chihara K, Ogi K, Nakashima K, Sada K, Hori-Tamura N. Inhibitory effect of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp on IgE-mediated mast cell activation. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 25;59(10):5595-601.
- Udani JK, Singh BB, Singh VJ, Barrett ML. Effects of Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) berry preparation on metabolic parameters in a healthy overweight population: a pilot study. Nutr J. 2011 May 12;10:45.
- Barbosa PO, Pala D, Silva CT, de Souza MO, do Amaral JF, Vieira RA, Folly GA, Volp AC, de Freitas RN. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp dietary intake improves cellular antioxidant enzymes and biomarkers of serum in healthy women. Nutrition. 2016 Jun;32(6):674-80.
- Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J, Jilma-Stohlawetz P, Pacheco-Palencia LA, Meibohm B, Talcott ST, Derendorf H. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10;56(17):7796-802.
- Plant Intelligence Guide Volume 1
Icons created by Egorova Valentina and Mint Shirt from The Noun Project
Images Rhynchophorus_palmarum and Suri_Iquitos_Peru thanks to Wikimedia, and Reinaldo Aguilar via Flickr.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video.
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The Antioxidant Effects of Açai vs. Apples
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
What’s so great about antioxidants? Check out:
- Antioxidants and Depression
- Treating Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables
- Food Antioxidants and Cancer
- Antioxidant-Rich Foods with Every Meal
- Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants
Where else can you get them? See Antioxidants in a Pinch and Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods vs. Animal Foods.
What are the nutritional aspects of those grub-kabobs? See Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy and Good Grub: The Healthiest Meat.
Finally, be sure to check out The Benefits of Açai vs. Blueberries for Artery Function and a more recent video on apples, Apple Peels Put to the Test for Chronic Joint Pain.
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