What Is the Acai Fruit?

The fruit of the acai palm is in increasing demand for its purported health benefits. Acai berries can be found in myriad health products, from weight-loss supplements to antiaging creams and detoxification drinks.

Tree

• Acai (pronounced a-sigh-EE) berries grow on 60-foot palm trees native to the Brazilian floodplains of the Amazon River.

Fruit

• The dark purple berries contain a large seed surrounded by a thin layer of edible pulp. The berries, which measure about 1 inch in diameter, grow in loose bunches of between 500 and 900 berries.

Claimed Benefits

• According to http://acaiberry.org, acai is touted as a weight-loss aid and detoxifier. Other acai products are said to improve digestion; increase energy; and improve sleep, skin and circulation.

Research

• The berries contain antioxidants, and a 2008 study at Texas A&M University confirmed that the human body does absorb those antioxidants when the juice and pulp are consumed. A different study at the University of Florida showed that acai antioxidants destroyed cultured human cancer cells.

Further study needed

• A researcher with the Texas A&M study said that while acai berries appear to be healthful and may be part of a balanced diet, more research is needed to determine if the fruit helps fight disease.