LiveLongAgeWell

I was surprised and slightly amused to see acai (properly spelled, with accents açaí, and pronounced ah-saa-EE), the blue Amazonian berry, so heavily promoted as a weight loss aid—and a frequent subject of spam emails—because here in Brazil, where it comes from, acai is more likely seen as something that will make you fat, not thin. Still, acai as a supplement has become a huge industry in the United States, with a marketing frenzy spurred by high-powered endorsers like Dr. Oz and Oprah. What’s the truth….will it help make you thin, or fat, or neither?

I initially heard of this “healthiest fruit in the world” —a reputation it carries in Brazil—on my first trip here in 2001, and since it was exotically blue, tasty, and apparently full of antioxidants, I have eaten it frequently. Acai is a grape-sized fruit from an Amazonian palm tree (another part of the same tree is sold as “palm hearts”), usually sold in frozen packs of blue pulp. Typically it is prepared as a thick smoothie, mixed with banana and the sweet caffeine-rich syrup of another Amazonian berry, guaraná. It’s fashionable to cover the whole bowl with granola.

Acai indeed has the reputation as being mysteriously healthy, full of antioxidants, and the science indicates that it is, but exactly how heavily it’s loaded with antioxidants is controversial. Some studies indicate a medium level, some higher; it depends on which “system” of oxidation in the body or test tube is being tested. It seems likely though that the basic antioxidant content is quite high, somewhere around that of a blueberry.

Interestingly, the value of antioxidants in the body is a hot topic now…are they helpful or could they be in some cases harmful? A recent study regarding vitamins C and E and exercise suggest that antioxidants, at least as pill supplements, might actually weaken our own body’s natural system of mopping up oxidative damage, and antioxidant pills might weaken these defenses. So a new theory is that these supplements might make our own natural antioxidant systems lazy, and in the long run, lead to more oxidative damage, more aging.

But it is much too soon to reach any conclusions; almost certainly, other studies with different formulations of vitamin E, different dose schedules, etc, will give different results. Most scientists seem to agree however that the antioxidants you consume in foods like tea, red wine, colorful vegetables, legumes, coffee, chocolate, etc, are beneficial as far as cutting risk of heart disease, some cancers, and possibly dementia.

Back to acai. Besides whatever natural antioxidants it contains, it is full of the best form of (monosaturated) fatty acids, similar to olive oil, and has lots of fiber. But as a weight loss aid? No proof at all, and no good evidence either. Don’t waste your money. Acai in body creams as a wrinkle reducer? Again, no evidence; better to spend your money on a visit to a dermatologist, a prescription for topical retinoic acid, and a good sunscreen. Still, I’ll continue to eat my acai mixed with banana and guarana, but I’ll rely on the gym and lots of walking to keep my weight in line…certainly not acai, green tea, or any supplement.