Acai berry is the latest miracle discovery to hit the world. This small purple fruit may rightly be touted as "The healthiest fruit ever". Packed with anti oxidants and rich in vitamins and minerals, this fruit is truly nature's gift.
The Acai berry benefits
The benefits of Acai berry are numerous. They can be summarised as follows:
- Anti oxidant property
- Anti inflammatory
- Enhances immune system
- Reduces bad blood cholesterol
- Improves bowel movements
- Encourages weight loss
- Increases mental clarity
- Reduces rate of skin aging
- Enhances sexual potency
- Detoxifies blood
How does Acai berry do what it does?
Acai berry's chemical composition is the reason behind its high health benefits. It is said to be rich in antioxidants. A comparison of the antioxidant properties of Acai berry with other known fruits has lead to the astounding result that "Acai berry has the highest amount of antioxidants compared to all fruits known".
What is ORAC?? How is Acai berry related?
ORAC is an abbreviation for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It is a value assigned by the National Institute of Aging. It refers to the capacity of any compound to absorb oxygen radicals. An assay is performed in the laboratory to validate the free radical absorption capacity of a substance. The ORAC value changes for different compounds and substances and is directly proportional to the free radical absorption capacity of that substance.
The USDA recommended value is 3000 – 5000 ORAC values every day. Acai berry contains a whopping 5500 ORAC value which is higher than most other edible fruits. For 100 grams, apples, blueberries and bananas score 218, 2400 and 211 respectively.
What are oxygen radicals?
The body performs millions of biochemical actions every day. These biochemical processes produce different products and some free radicals. These free radicals are unstable chemical species.eg: Super oxides. They contain an unpaired electron. This electron requires another electron to stabilize. They try to stabilise themselves by attacking other chemical entities in the cell. Thus they destabilize the other compounds they attack. These compounds are oxidative in nature and hence the damage they cause is known as oxidative damage. This continues as a cascade leading to cellular organelles and DNA damage. Thus a cell dies.
What are the consequences of Free radicals?
Free radicals kill the cells, potentially leading to Cancer. They also play a major role in the aging process. Many cardiovascular problems are due to free radical attack. Certain neurodegenerative diseases are also now suggested to be the result of free radical attack.
How does High ORAC of Acai berry help?
Acai berry has the highest known ORAC value till date. The components that contribute to the high value of Acai berry are the anthocyanins. These are the blue pigments found in the skin of the berry.
These components retain their anti – oxidant property even after consumption by humans. Thus, these compounds scavenge for such free radicals and absorb them. So the damage caused by such free radicals is reduced greatly.
What is to be kept in mind?
The anti oxidant property of Acai berry holds good only when it freeze dried. The anti oxidant components of Acai berry are not stable to heat. Some companies employ spray drying as a process to produce Acai berry powder and products. Such processing destroys the heat sensitive anti-oxidant property of Acai berry.
The tried and tested Acai berry holds the testimonial of many consumers in its health improving properties. Thus consumption of Acai berry greatly reduces the risk of occurrence of the above mentioned diseases.