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Dr. Perricone was a guest on the Oprah Whinfrey show when he listed the top 10 foods everyone should consume to help you look and age better!
Of the 10 foods listed, 9 were groups of foods. The one food that was specifically mentioned was the ACAI Fruit.
Sports Illustrated for Women (September, 2003) calls Açaí fruit one of “The 41 Best Things on Earth,” and the “best fruit you’ve never heard of.” Açaí also has also received recent rave reviews from Men’s Health Journal, Health Sciences Institute and Vogue.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004;
For those put off by juiced wheatgrass and bored with low-carb bars, there is acai. Acai (ah-sigh-EE), the purplish fruit of the palmberry plant, purportedly contains more antioxidants than red wine and has a beguiling berry-like flavor with intense chocolate overtones.
Brazilian Berry Destroys Cancer Cells in Lab, UF Study Shows
1.12.2006
By: Tom Nordlie
This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. It can often be found in juice form in health food and gourmet stores.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- A Brazilian berry popular in health food contains antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells in a recent University of Florida study, one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits.
Published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” Talcott said. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”
He cautioned that the study, funded by UF sources, was not intended to show whether compounds found in acai berries could prevent leukemia in people.
“This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope,” Talcott said. “We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.”
Other fruits, including grapes, guavas and mangoes, contain antioxidants shown to kill cancer cells in similar studies, he said. Experts are uncertain how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as nutrient absorption, metabolism and the influence of other biochemical processes may influence the antioxidants’ chemical activity.
Another UF study, slated to conclude in 2006, will investigate the effects of acai’s antioxidants on healthy human subjects, Talcott said. The study will determine how well the compounds are absorbed into the blood, and how they may affect blood pressure, cholesterol levels and related health indicators. So far, only fundamental research has been done on acai berries, which contain at least 50 to 75 as-yet unidentified compounds.
“One reason so little is known about acai berries is that they’re perishable and are traditionally used immediately after picking,” he said. “Products made with processed acai berries have only been available for about five years, so researchers in many parts of the world have had little or no opportunity to study them.”
Talcott said UF is one of the first institutions outside Brazil with personnel studying acai berries. Besides Talcott, UF’s acai research team includes Susan Percival, a professor with the food science and human nutrition department, David Del Pozo-Insfran, a doctoral student with the department and Susanne Mertens-Talcott, a postdoctoral associate with the pharmaceutics department of UF’s College of Pharmacy.
Acai berries are produced by a palm tree known scientifically as Euterpe oleracea, common in floodplain areas of the Amazon River, Talcott said. When ripe, the berries are dark purple and about the size of a blueberry. They contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed.
Historically, Brazilians have used acai berries to treat digestive disorders and skin conditions, he said. Current marketing efforts by retail merchants and Internet businesses suggest acai products can help consumers lose weight, lower cholesterol and gain energy.
“A lot of claims are being made, but most of them haven’t been tested scientifically,” Talcott said. “We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects.”
In the current UF study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations.
Four of the extracts were shown to kill significant numbers of leukemia cells when applied for 24 hours. Depending on the extract and concentration, anywhere from about 35 percent to 86 percent of the cells died.
The UF study demonstrates that research on foods not commonly consumed in the United States is important, because it may lead to unexpected discoveries, said Joshua Bomser, an assistant professor of molecular nutrition and functional foods at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
But familiar produce items have plenty of health-giving qualities, he said.
“Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk for many diseases, including heart disease and cancer,” said Bomser, who researches the effects of diet on chronic diseases. “Getting at least five servings a day of these items is still a good recommendation for promoting optimal health.”
"The Fruit That Packs a Punch"
By Tyler Graham
July 2003
FRUIT ARE A BIT like pop stars. Remember when pomegranates exploded onto the scene last year? But this summer, there’s a new contender that’s got something to offer tat no kumquat or baby banana could ever match: Açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) actually gives you a rush.
A small, purple palm berry that grows wild in the Amazon, açaí has been hugely popular in Brazil for years, where it’s whipped up by street vendors into a frozen slush and eaten out of big bowls, kind of like Red Bull ice cream. It’s even marketed to the same hip, athletic set as Red Bull — Brazilian skateboarding phenom Bob Burnquist wears gear advertising Sambazon, the importer bringing açaí to U.S. Stores. And the potent fruit is a favorite of Brazilian surfers and jujitsu fighters.
You won’t see the berry itself at your local grocer; it spoils too easily. Instead, the pulp is mashed, mixed with a tiny amount of the natural caffeine source guarana, and sold frozen. The traditional way to prepare the mix is by blending a 14-ounce package with a half cup of apple juice and a banana and topping it off with granola, though health clubs also put it in smoothies. The taste is like a red wine with a hint of chocolate; the buzz, like a less jittery, more filling double latte. "Our customers love it," says Juan Martinez, of Mani’s Bakery, a trendy Los Angeles eatery. "They eat it for breakfast and don’t have to eat again until three in the afternoon."
It’s not completely clear where the boost comes from. The added guarana per serving contains less caffeine than a cup of decaf. One guess is that there’s something about the natural sugars in the fruit that creates a multiplier effect with the guarana. "It doesn’t really add up," admits William Obermeyer, vice-president of research for Consumer-Lab.com. "Is is safe? All I can say is, the buzz has to be coming from somewhere."
Wall Street Journal -Açaí Replaces Wheatgrass In Blenders at Juice Bars
April 18, 2003
By TATIANA BONCOMPAGNI
Wheatgrass, protein shakes -- so 2002. At juice bars and health stores around the country, the hip new taste is açaí, (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) a grape-size, deep-purple berry that grows atop palm trees in the Brazilian jungle. In the two years since it hit the U.S., sales have jumped fivefold to $2.5 million, says Ryan Black, founder of Sambazon, the fruit's main U.S. importer, while at Juice It Up, a California chain, açaí drinks and dishes account for 10% of sales. "People drive out of their way to get it," says Brandon Gough, the company's vice president of marketing.
Fans say the fruit (which comes to the U.S. as frozen pulp) not only tastes good, but also is good for you -- packed with anthocyanins, the same antioxidants that give red wine its health benefits. And, in a hat trick of health-bar chic, it's good for the Amazon, too, because it's collected by local families who can earn as much as $1,000 during the December-to-August harvest season (twice as much as they can usually make). "It gives them income and another land use besides cutting down the trees and raising cattle," says Chris Kilham, who teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Health Sciences Institute- "Nature's Perfect Food"
Discover the amazing health benefits of the fruit from the Amazon’s "tree of life"
By Judy Douglas
July 2003
If you get your health guidance from the mainstream media, you’d think the healthiest way to live is to guzzle red wine and drown everything in olive oil.
That’s basically what they’ve told us in recent years. First, it was the “French paradox”--the fact that the French, who generally eat lots of cheese, cream, and butter; drink lots of wine; and smoke like chimneys, are healthier than Americans. Scientists told us it was all in the wine—specifically, in the anthocyanins—the antioxidant flavonoid that gives red grapes their deep color.
Then it was the “Mediterranean diet,” the traditional way of eating in the regions of Italy and Spain, where olive oil is a staple. We learned that olive oil is a good source of essential fatty acids that are processed right out of many Americanized foods.
I’m not discounting the benefits of either of these phytochemicals. In fact, in a minute I’ll explain exactly why both are so important to good health. I just question the sources recommended in the headlines. There’s got to be a better way to get these valuable nutrients than guzzling wine and drowning in oil.
As it turns out, there is. I learned about it from HSI panelist Jon Barron. He told me about a single superfood from the Amazon that, fresh from the tree, can provide over 30 times the amount of anthocyanins as red wine and all the beneficial fatty acids of olive oil in one delicious, all-natural package. And this is just the beginning of this food’s health benefits. It’s virtually impossible to over-do this food—which is certainly not the case with red wine or olive oil.
Get the healing power of many phytonutrients in one delicious package.
There’s no disputing the health benefits of anthocyanins and essential fatty acids. Both have proven to be powerful nutritional tools in the quest for good health.
Research has shown that plant pigments like anthocyanins are potent antioxidants. The cardiovascular benefits are the most well known; studies show that anthocyanins can help prevent blood clots, improve blood circulation, relax blood vessels, and prevent artherosclerosis. But scientists have also uncovered a whole host of other powerful effects from anthocyanins, including antiviral and antiallergenic properties. Some research even suggests that anthocyanins can prevent cancer, by blocking carcinogenesis on a molecular level and encouraging tumor cell death.
Essential fatty acids have proven just as powerful. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 acid, and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 acid, help lower LDL, and maintain healthy HDL levels. They also increase the absorption of fat-soluable vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are essential to good health. Research has even suggested that oleic acid may prevent against cancer and hypertension.
Olive oil may be the best known sources of these nutrients, but it is certainly not the only one. It’s the pigment in red grapes that gives wine its anthocyanins—and that same pigment can also be found in other red and purple fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, red cabbage, and purple sweet potatoes. Oleic acid is also present in pecans and seed oils, and linoleic acid is found in peanuts.
But there is one food that delivers it all—plus other healthy nutrients like fiber, phytosterols, and vitamins C and E. For centuries, it’s been a staple for people in Brazil, yet virtually unknown to anyone outside the region—until now.
Discover the health secret of generations of Amazonian Indians.
It’s called açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), and it’s the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the rainforests of the Amazon—a tree Brazilians call "The Tree of Life." About 90 percent of the small, round fruit is its hard, inedible pit—but that’s OK, because it’s the outside skin that holds the treasure. That dark purple skin is what contains the anthocyanins.
The natives puree the skins, creating a treat that can be served warm as a sauce over fruit or grains or frozen like a sorbet. They’ve been eating it for centuries, passing down recipes from generation to generation. (The native people have also passed down the story of how açaí was discovered.) Because fruit itself is perishable, its popularity never spread beyond the region.
Superfood fights heart disease, cancer, prostate enlargement, and more.
Since then, the news about açaí has been steadily spreading—and the evidence of nutritional and health benefits just keep piling up. Consider this: a 100-gram serving of açaí contains only 90 calories, just two grams of fat and no cholesterol. Plus, it delivers 3.5 grams of dietary fiber, something we could all use more of in our diets. Improved processing of the fresh fruit is making it possible to preserve more of the fruit’s healthful attributes. Currently, the puree provides more anthocyanins than red wine and has antioxidant concentrations that well outweigh blueberries.
Subsequent research has shown that in addition to the anthocyanins and essential fatty acids, açaí also contains a healthy dose of plant sterols, another class of phytochemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol, protect the immune system, and relieve prostate enlargement. In fact, it turns out açaí is in the same family as saw palmetto, a common herbal treatment for prostate enlargement. And researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have discovered that açaí extract can be used to fight infection, like the parasitic infection schistosomosis which affects 10 million Brazilians each year and the common bacterial infection staphylococcus aureus. It seems there’s no end to this miracle fruit’s health benefits.
