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Disclaimer: The information contained within www.magicberry.com.au should not be used or altered to portray anything that is not fact. The Acai berry
should not be used in anyway as a possible substitution for any medical
therapy without your doctor's advice. For some specific health problems
you will need to consult with your doctor about consumption and usage.
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In Gainesville Florida a study has been carried out on a
Brazilian berry which is used in health food products that has antioxidants
that destroyed cultured human cancer cells. The study was to investigate the fruits
reported benefits.
Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
the study showed extracts from the Acai berry triggers a self destruct response
in almost 86% of leukaemia cells tested. This study carried out by Stephen
Talcott an assistant professor from the University of Florida Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences.
“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest
fruit sources of antioxidants” Stephen said. The study was important in the way
that people would gain from consuming beverages, dietary supplements or other
products made with the Acai berry.
This study does not intend to show that compounds found
within the Acai berry could prevent leukaemia in people. The study itself was
only cell culture models so don’t get any false hopes but the research and
results came with encouraging results. The compounds show good activity against
cancer cells in the model and are most likely to have beneficial effects to our
bodies.
Other fruits including grapes, guavas and mangoes contain
antioxidants which have also shown to kill cancer cells in similar studies.
Experts are uncertain how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the
human body because such factors like nutrient absorption, influence of other
biochemical processors and metabolism could potentially influence the
antioxidants’ chemical activity.
So far the effects of Acai’s antioxidants have only been
recorded on healthy human subjects. There are still studies to be carried out
which will help determine how the compounds are absorbed in to the blood and
how it may affect things like blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other
health indicators. The Acai berry itself has at least 50 -75 compounds in it
which are yet to be identified.
The Acai berry is perishable and have been traditionally
used immediately after picking and the products that have processed Acai
berries in them have only been in the market place for approximately 5 years so
researchers from different parts of the world have had little or no access to them to study the Acai berry
further.
The Acai berry is found on a palm tree known scientifically
as “Euterpe Oleracea” which is commonly found in the flood plain areas of the
Amazon River. When ripe the dark purple berries are about the size of a blueberry.
They contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed.
The study from the University of Florida found six different
chemical extracts were actually made from the Acai fruit pulp and each extract
was prepared in seven concentrations.
Four of the extracts showed that significant numbers of the
leukaemia cells were killed within 24 hours of the extract being applied.
Depending on the levels applied determined the amount of cells killed ranging
from 35% to 86%.
