Like many people, I always find it hard to believe whenever I read all the amazing health benefits of Acai berries. Many articles just state that Acai berries can prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a bunch of other diseases without explaining how the fruit can do all of these. This is the main reason why I’ve decided to make my own explanation by giving you a thorough breakdown of the Acai’s nutritional chemistry and describing what each Acai chemical can do for your body.
Acai Polyphenols:
These are antioxidants that are found in fruits like Acai berries. Also called flavonoids, these antioxidants are famous for their ability to prevent heart diseases such as stroke, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Moreover, polyphenols were found to have preventive effects from cancer, neurodegenerative disease (brain and spinal chord cell deterioration), diabetes, and osteoporosis (bone loss). These claims were according to the 2005 Critical Review on Food and Nutrition study by leading French nutritionists.
Acai Anthocyanidins:
Antioxidants called anthocyanins that are found in Acai berries have a sugar-free counterpart which is also found in Acai berries. These sugar-free fruit pigments are called anthocyanidins and are usually purple-blue in color. They give the Acai berries their beautiful deep purple hue! Nature has used anthocyanidins on its delicate berries like grapes, blueberries, and Acai berries to protect their skin from the damaging effects of oxidation.
Like what nature intended them to do, anthocyanidins are perfect antioxidants in that they scavenge free radicals and toxins that float around our bloodstream and prevent them from oxidizing our cells. As a result, diseases such as arthritis, some types of cancers, and atherosclerosis (arterial wall inflammation) are both prevented and cured.
Because they are sugar-free, anthocynidins make Acai berries ideal for those who are suffering from diabetes or those who have a family history of the disease. In addition, anthocyanidins promote healthy joints, capillaries, and collagen, which further help us fight the aging process.
Phytosterols:
These are plant sterols, a type of good cholesterol found in plants like the Acai Palm. They’re not actually cholesterols but they share the same structure as cholesterols. In fact, phytosterols reduce the concentration of LDL cholesterols which can clog our arteries that supply blood to the heart and brain.
In 2006, Dr. John A. Polarus of the University of California-Davis compared the cholesterol levels between test subjects who were required to eat phytosterol-enriched snacks and those who were given regular snack bars. The study concluded that those who took in phytosterol regularly for six weeks experienced a 5% reduction in their cholesterol levels while those that did not actually increased their cholesterol levels. This proves that phytosterols are important agents in the reduction of bad cholesterol in our body.
Monounsaturated (healthy) fats: Oleic Acid (Omega-9):
Acai berries are also rich sources of good fats called Omega-9 or Oleic acids. Like phytosterols, Oleic acids help decrease LDL cholesterol levels in the body. In addition to that, Oleic acids also increase HDL cholesterol levels. HDL or High Density Lipoproteins are considered the good cholesterols because they help remove LDLs from our arteries.
Before I go on to the next part of this Acai nutritional chemistry breakdown, let’s summarize what the chemicals above can offer us in terms of health benefits.
Polyphenols, phytosterols, and oleic acids in Acai berries all help reduce the levels of bad cholesterols in our body, protecting us from many types of heart disease. Anthocyanidins in Acai berries help us fight the aging effects of cell oxidation and inflammation. Polyphenols and anthocyanidins both prevent some types of cancer and diabetes. Lastly, polyphenols help prevent neurodegenerative disease and osteoporosis.
That’s about it for now.
Stay tuned for part two and learn more about Acai’s Omega-6 fatty acid, Vitamin E, trace minerals, dietary fiber, amino acids, and low Glycemic Index.
Acai Berry Health: A Thorough Breakdown of the Acai’s Nutritional Chemistry (Part 2)
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