Seven+ Superfoods, Part 4: Acai

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This is Part 4 in a series of Seven+ Superfoods. Previously, we have learned about Gac, Fucoidan, and Mangosteen.

This post is dedicated to Acai (ah-SIGH-ee), also known as “Amazon’s Healing Fruit” or Euterpe oleracea.

Why is Acai a Superfood?

Acai contains the highest free-radical-fighting power of any known fruit with 16 different antioxidants.

Acai contains 33 times the amount of anticianine, a potent antioxidant, than grapes do.

Anthocyanins, the reason many people drink red wine, are 30X more potent in Acai. Benefits without the buzz

A near-perfect essential amino acid complex, Acai’s most abundant mineral is potassium. Potassium helps to regulate the body’s water balance to prevent swelling and high blood pressure, and keeps the body’s acidity in check.

The second most abundant mineral in Acai is calcium, which promotes bone growth and density.

Acai is rich in iron, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, and K, which help promote collagen production, energy, restores tissue damage, protects cellular membranes, regulates the thickness of the blood, and regulates dopamine and serotonin production in the brain.

Acai contains beneficial fatty acids (omega-6 and -9) which reduce bad cholesterol and maintain good cholesterol levels.

What can Acai Help With?

Including the above, Acai can help with:

anti-aging due to the abundance of phytonutrients
increased energy due to antioxidants which strengthen cells and fight free radicals
strengthening the immune system, controls cholesterol, and fights infections
improves blood circulation and healthy blood flow
helps with regularity due to the richness in fiber of Acai (25% dry matter)
fights weight gain due to the combination of antioxidants, amino acids, phytosterols, and essential fatty acids
vision improvement due to antioxidants which fight eye-related diseases
mental focus during the day, and restful sleep at night due to the amino acids which allow muscles to relax

(scroll down for scientific studies)

Where does Acai come from?

Acai grows in the richest soil in the world in the Amazon Rain Forest. Due to its mineral-rich soil, Acai’s 1″ berries are bursting full of nutrients.

Locals believe Acai to be the most powerful nutrition in the forest.

Where can I get Acai?

You can find it in a popular supplemental juice drink that features Acai, but that wouldn’t be my first choice since they include with it sodium benzoate (turns toxic when combined with Vitamin C, which is naturally-occuring in Acai). It would cost $80 a month for this juice, which is just a juice and is diluted with other common juices.

I found powdered Acai on amazon. This one is organic and raw, and is $28 for 8 ounces. Not really too bad, as it contains 72 servings, but not as potent or economical as an extract. This one is more concentrated and similar price, but the serving size shows “100 grams” and the package is 227 grams. Yikes. Not to mention either one has a super high carb count (90 grams a serving) which is a no-no for diabetics.

Then I found 100% Acai juice. Wild-harvested, this looks like a good choice if you want the juice. Although it’s not as potent as an extract, and is likely loaded with carbohydrates (bad if you are diabetic), this does appear to be a pure product and you only need an ounce per serving.

But for roughly the same price you can consume Seven+ and get so much more for your dollar.

Where does Lea get Acai?

I personally choose to get my Acai in extract form via eXfuze’s Seven+ as it also contains many other botanical superfoods extracts including Mangosteen, Goji, Fucoidan (Brown Seaweed), Noni, Gac, Sea Buckthorn, Grape Seed, Pomegranate, Wild Blueberry, and Aloe all in one concentrated dose.

Seven+’s botanical superfood supplement combines potent, organically-grown and wild-crafted extracts to ensure maximum absorption.

Why are extracts so important? Unlike juices which take nutrients from the pulpy fruit part, extracts also retrieve the nutrients from the rind where most of the beneficial properties lie.

And sometimes as important is what a supplement does NOT have. Seven+ does not have sodium benzoate (toxic when combined with Vitamin C), MSG, high fructose corn syrup or any other artificial sweeteners, chemicals, synthetic vitamins. Seven+ is Kosher Certified, non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegan, and only 1g of carbs per serving, making it safe for diabetics!

As a more economical option, I prefer the concentrated liquid botanical extract version that eXfuze makes because I am confident the quality can’t be beat – and hey, who doesn’t like their dollar stretched?

Retail customers can get a bottle of Seven+ Classic for $40 (although I personally use the PRO version for $45). Preferred customers only pay $37 for a bottle of Seven+ Classic (PRO is $42). At one concentrated 3/4 ounce dose per day, a bottle lasts a full month.

Or, get yours free when you Take the eXfuze Challenge and get four friends to join with you. I am using the Get Up & Go Pak and am loving it! Learn more here.

Just announced: you can now join eXfuze for FREE until 2/6. E-mail me!

Learn more about Seven +: What is Seven+, Why Do I Need It, and How Do I Get Some?

What Does Science Say About Acai?

The interplay among dietary fat, sugar, protein and açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp in modulating lifespan and reproduction in a Tephritid fruit fly.

AbstractMacronutrient balance is a critical contributor in modulating lifespan and health. Consumption of diets rich in fruits and vegetables provides numerous health benefits. The interactions among macronutrients and botanicals and how they influence aging and health remain elusive. Here we employed a nutritional geometry approach to investigate the interplay among dietary fat, sugar, protein and antioxidant- and polyphenolic-rich freeze-dried açai pulp in modulating lifespan and reproductive output in the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew). Individual flies were cultured on one of the 24 diets made from a combination of 1) sugar and yeast extract (SY) at four ratios, 2) palmitic acid, a saturated fat, at two concentrations and 3) freeze-dried açai pulp at three concentrations. Fat addition decreased lifespan in females on the sugar only diet and the diet with a low SY ratio, while decreasing lifetime reproductive output in flies on the diet with the low SY ratio when compared to SY ratio-matched low fat controls. Açai supplementation promoted survival, while decreasing lifetime reproductive output, in flies on diets with high fat and high sugar but not other diets when compared to diet-matched non-supplemented controls. These findings reveal that the impact of fat and açai on lifespan and reproductive output depends on the dietary content of other macronutrients. Our results reveal the intricate interplay among macronutrients and nutraceuticals, and underscore the importance of taking macronutrient balance into consideration in designing dietary interventions for aging and health.

CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that the anti-neoplastic effect of dietary α-MG is associated with the presence of xanthones in the tumor tissue. Further investigation of the impact of beverages and food products containing xanthones on the prevention of colon cancer or as complementary therapy is merited.

Euterpe oleracea (açai) modifies sterol metabolism and attenuates experimentally-induced atherosclerosis.

AbstractAIM: Euterpe Oleracea (açai) is a fruit from the Amazon region whose chemical composition may be beneficial for individuals with atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that consumption of Euterpe Oleracea would reduce atherosclerosis development by decreasing cholesterol absorption and synthesis.

METHODS: Male New Zealand rabbits were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (0.5%) for 12 weeks, when they were randomized to receive Euterpe Oleracea extract (n = 15) or water (n = 12) plus a 0.05% cholesterol-enriched diet for an additional 12 weeks. Plasma phytosterols and desmosterol were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Atherosclerotic lesions were estimated by computerized planimetry and histomorphometry.

RESULTS: At sacrifice, animals treated with Euterpe Oleracea had lower levels of total cholesterol (p =0.03), non-HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.03) and triglycerides (p = 0.02) than controls. These animals had smaller atherosclerotic plaque area in their aortas (p = 0.001) and a smaller intima/media ratio (p = 0.002) than controls, without differences in plaque composition. At the end of the study, campesterol, β-sitosterol, and desmosterol plasma levels did not differ between groups; however, animals treated with Euterpe Oleracea showed lower desmosterol/campesterol (p = 0.026) and desmosterol/ β-sitosterol (p =0.006) ratios than controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of Euterpe Oleracea extract markedly improved the lipid profile and attenuated atherosclerosis. These effects were related in part to a better balance in the synthesis and absorption of sterols.

Effects of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (AÇAÍ) extract in acute lung inflammation induced by cigarette smoke in the mouse.

AbstractShort term inhalation of cigarette smoke (CS) induces significant lung inflammation due to an imbalance of oxidant/antioxidant mechanisms. Açai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The present study aimed to determine whether oral administration of an açai stone extract (ASE) could reduce lung inflammation induced by CS. Thirty C57BL/6 mice were assigned to three groups (n=10 each): the Control+A group was exposed to ambient air and treated orally with ASE 300 mg/kg/day; the CS group was exposed to smoke from 6 cigarettes per day for 5 days; and the CS+A group was exposed to smoke from 6 cigarettes per day for 5 days and treated orally with ASE (300 mg/kg/day). On day 6, all mice were sacrificed. After bronchoalveolar lavage, the lungs were removed for histological and biochemical analyses. The CS group exhibited increases in alveolar macrophage (AMs) and neutrophil numbers (PMNs), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase activities (GPx), TNF-α expression, and nitrites levels in lung tissue when compared with the control ones (p<0.001>

Find more studies here: Acaion PubMed.