The açaí (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) is a species of palm tree indigenous to the area surrounding the Amazon in South America. Its berries resemble grapes and ripen seasonally in similar fashion, progressing from green to a deep purple color.1 Modern scientific analysis has revealed that the açaí berry’s complete polyphenolic profile boasts a formidable array of beneficial compounds, including polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (11.1% and 60.2%, respectively), along with 19 health-promoting amino acids.2
Touted commercially for years as a superfood, only recently has the açaí berry gained compelling scientific validation as an antioxidant powerhouse. Among the most recent findings:
- After consuming a blend of açaí polyphenols, researchers recorded a three-fold increase in antioxidant capacity in the blood of healthy human volunteers.3
- Antioxidants found specifically in freeze-dried açaí extract have been shown to enter human cells in a fully functional form and effectively neutralize free radicals at very low doses.4
- Similarly, açaí extract has demonstrated unrivalled scavenging capacity against two of the most damaging reactive oxygen species, the superoxide and peroxyl radicals.
Evidence is also building for açaí as a major cancer fighter. Polyphenolic mixtures of açaí pulp and oil extracts inhibited the proliferation of human colon cancer cells in the lab by up to 90.7%5 and a study on human leukemia cells found açaí polyphenols reduced cell proliferation from 56-86%.6 Açaí pulp was also found to be protective when administered to mice prior to the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin.7
Açaí is also emerging as a major cardiovascular protector.8 In one study, açaí extract induced long-lasting endothelium-dependent vasodilation (relaxing of the arterial wall) in the abdominal vascular tissue of rats.9 Supplementation with açaí berries has also been shown to reduce total and non-HDL cholesterol in animals with experimentally induced high cholesterol.10Açaí’s high antioxidant capacity also benefits brain function, with potential implications for the treatment of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Research has shown that pre-treatment of brain tissue from the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus with açaí decreased ROS-induced damage of lipids and proteins in all brain tissues tested.11
1. Marcason W. What is the açaí berry and are there health benefits? J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Nov;109(11):1968.
2. Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, et al. Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açai). J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-603.
3. Mertens-Talcott SU, Rios J, Jilma-Stohlawetz P, et al. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich açai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56:7796-802.
4. Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Huang D, Owens J, Agarwal A, Jensen GS, Hart AN, Shanbrom E. Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai). J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8604-10.
5. Pacheco-Palencia LA, Talcott ST, Safe S, Mertens-Talcott S. Absorption and biological activity of phytochemical-rich extracts from açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp and oil in vitro. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 May 28;56(10):3593-600.
6. Del Pozo-Insfran D, Percival SS, Talcott ST. Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycoside and aglycone forms induce apoptosis of HL-60 leukemia cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1222-9.
7. Ribeiro JC, Antunes LM, Aissa AF, et al. Evaluation of the genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects after acute and subacute treatments with açai pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) on mice using the erythrocytes micronucleus test and the comet assay. Mutat Res.2010 Jan;695(1):22-8.
8. Stoclet JC, Chataigneau T, Ndjaye M, et al. Vascular protection by dietary polyphenols. Eur J Pharmacol. 2004 Oct;500(1):299-313.
9. Rocha APM, Carvalho LC, Sousa SV, et al. Endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açai) extracts in mesenteric vascular bed of the rat. Vasc Pharmacology. 2007 Feb;46(2):97-104.
10. Oliveira de Souza M, Silva M, Silva ME, de Paula Oliveira R, Pedrosa ML. Diet supplementation with açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp improves biomarkers of oxidative stress and the serum lipid profile in rats. Nutrition. 2009 Dec 17.
11. Spada PD, Dani C, Bortolini GV, Funchai C, Henriques JA, Salvador M. Frozen fruit pulp of Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (Açai) prevents hydrogen peroxide-induced damage in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus of rats. J Med Food. 2009 Oct;12(5):1084-8.