Acai Berry for Weight Loss

In October 2008, Oprah Winfrey aired a television show featuring Dr. Nicholas Perricone and his list of 10 superfoods that promote anti-aging and optimum health. The acai berry was at the top of the list. Since then, the berry's popularity has soared, and many products tout its use as a weight-loss aid, even though Perricone didn't address this ability.

Identification

• The acai berry is a fruit produced by palm trees in Brazil. It is a dark berry with a deep, rich taste. It's only the size of a blueberry, and it's got a huge, inedible pit. A thin layer of skin surrounds the pit and is the edible part of the fruit. It is enriched with amino acids, antioxidants and monounsaturated fats. While you may not be able to find acai berries, you can buy acai juice, which retains all of the berry's healthy elements.

Benefits

• According to the Health Sciences Institute, acai berry contains antioxidants called anthocyanins that promote healthy blood flow, reduce blood clotting and relax blood vessels, reducing your risk for heart disease. The healthy fats in the berry help control cholesterol, and they also make it easier for the body to absorb vitamins. Scientists at the University of Florida are even studying the acai berry in conjunction with killing cancer cells. Acai has a significant amount of healthy fatty and amino acids in one berry, which is very uncommon.

Weight Loss

• Weight loss is not a key benefit of the acai berry, although it may help you with diet and exercise. Amino acids in the berry are essential for muscle growth, and its fatty acids will satisfy hunger. So, if you eat the berry, you may find that you'll have less appetite, and if you exercise, you'll be more apt to build muscle and burn fat. However, these are secondary benefits of the berry.

Claims

• Neither Perricone nor Winfrey endorse any specific acai berry product. However, since the show in 2008, some companies have been using their names to promote products that usually are marketed as weight-loss tablets. These companies say that acai berry diet pills boost energy, reduce appetite and spur rapid weight loss. Winfrey has filed lawsuits against some of these companies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest urges consumers to be aware of acai scams.

Solutions

• Perricone suggests consuming products with unsweetened acai pulp if you'd like to incorporate the berry into your diet for its anti-aging properties. You can find these products and acai juice at health food stores. No research confirms acai's purported weight-loss benefits.