A study recently conducted at the University of Florida in Gainesville on the properties of an extract of the acai berry produced some surprising results. When exposed to acai berry extract, cancer cells died. These were cancer cells which have proven to be resistant to other treatments. This was the first of many studies planned on the properties of the acai berry in cases of cancer.
In this test, leukaemia cells were exposed to acai berry extract, with the surprising result that 86% of the cancer cells self-destructed. Acai berries were already known as one of the best sources of antioxidant compounds, but this study’s findings are truly extraordinary. An assistant professor at the University of Florida (in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Services) was able to confirm for us that this figure of 86% was indeed the case.
Other fruits may also contain antioxidants which can kill leukaemia cells, but all of the research done to date is only preliminary, as there are other things which need to be taken into account. The figures yielded by this first study, however show great promise.
The Australian public has quickly gotten on the acai bandwagon, with great popularity present for a diet rich in tropical fruits such as acai, noni, goji and mangosteen. There are quite a large number of promotions ongoing for juice products made from these fruits. Many of these fruits have been found to be high in antioxidants.
A study in Brisbane, Australia in March of 2008 has focused on the differences between the juice type antioxidants and the olive leaves antioxidants. While the results found in the olive leaf have very promising results when it comes to containing antioxidants, the studies with the acai berry are far more conclusive.
The most interesting of these studies are, of course, the ones which have been done on fruits and cancer. U.S. researchers are working tirelessly to find a cure for cancer, especially leukaemia. Australia is doing the same in regard to cancer research. Leukaemia is the top disease related cause of death in children aged 20 and younger worldwide. For this reason, leukaemia research is a priority for many nations around the globe.
So far, all of the research is still preliminary and there is much more to be learned about the anti cancer properties of these fruits. The acai berry, for example, contains nearly 75 chemical compounds and the exact properties of many of these are as yet unknown. The acai berry is a difficult fruit to study due to its extremely short shelf life.
Roughly the same size as a blueberry, the acai berry ripens to a dark purple and contains a seed. These berries if not used or frozen quickly after picking, begin to decompose. This berry is from the Amazon basin, so freezing or using it immediately is not always an easy thing to accomplish.
The most accessible option for importing into Australia is the acai powder which results from the pulp being dehydrated and freeze-dried. The resulting powder is easier and cheaper to export and can be used to make pure acai supplements that have all the nutritional benefits of the original fruit. Moreover, the freeze-dried powder has all the health-giving properties of the berry itself.
The research is still very much in its infancy, but the hope is there that someday leukaemia will meet its match in the form of a cure. Leukaemia is a disease which strikes more children than adults – and this is spurring the world to search especially hard for a cure to this form of cancer.
About the author: Mr Americo Tognetti is astounded by the acai berry because it supplies such a boost to everyone in the Acai Fruit Powder.
categories: acai,fitness,diet,allergy,amazon,acai berry
