Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Amazon Thunder Pure Organic Acai Fruit Benefits

Acai has a number of benefits, including antioxidants, fiber, fatty acids, and proteins. The antioxidants from Acai are ten to thirty times that of red wine and more than twice that of blueberries. It's known to have the best nutritional value of any fruit on the planet, earning it the title of "super berry."

The Amazon "super berry" has gained recognition in the media, including television and magazines. There are several companies and websites that offer Acai products. Some products contain Acai exclusively, while others use it in combination with other ingredients. Acai shows up in fruit drinks and in powder form as health and energy products.

With all the popularity in recent years, the benefits of the Acai berry is widely unknown. People of the Amazon have long experienced the benefits of Acai to fight disease, strengthen the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart, and provide overall health and healing. These same benefits of this "super berry" are now available to health-minded individuals through taking Amazon Thunder.

Acai is a complete food source and contains an abundance of nutrients necessary for restoring and maintaining optimum health. Acai contains amino acids and vital trace elements important for muscle contraction and regeneration. Acai's nutrients, including a large amount of natural lipids, provide needed energy to tackle competitive sports and daily chores. Acai contains more protein than the average egg. Proteins are the primary component of hormones and body tissues, including muscles and organs.

The Acai berry can help to regulate your stress levels and repair your body. Acai's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can counter infertility due to stress, pollution and factors related to free radicals. Acai's immune-system-strengthening qualities help protect the entire body. Acai has been used for centuries to cleanse the body from contaminants. The regenerative nutrients and strong antioxidants in Acai help keep our cells operating efficiently and may slow aging.

By boosting the immune system, Acai's rich nutrient profile helps boost the body's natural defenses. Recent findings published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine indicate that Acai's beta-sitosterol prevents immune suppression and modulates the lymphocyte activity. Free radical damage is one of the primary causes of immune weakness or dysfunction. Acai can reduce the frequency of infectious diseases. Acai's antioxidant properties help prevent damage to DNA, which lowers the risks posed by carcinogens and mutagens.

Acai possesses high concentrations of polyphenols, making it an excellent source of antioxidants. Some polyphenols abundant in Acai are anthocyanins, some of the more potent forms of antioxidants. Other polyphenols in Acai, antho-cyanin and cyanidin-3-glucoside, may improve the production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells. Nitric oxide allows blood vessel walls to relax and expand, resulting in less stress on the heart, decreased risk of vessel blockage, and increased blood flow. The antioxidant punch of Acai may also be a powerful weapon in the fight against benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly known as an enlarged prostate.

Acai is rich in essential fatty acids, which may help reduce harmful LDL cholesterol while supporting levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. In diabetes weak capillaries can lead to a condition called retinopathy, which often leads to blindness. The anthocyanins in Acai protect small and large blood vessels, including veins, arteries and capillaries.

Acai's low glycemic index improves glucose and lipid levels in diabetics. Acai's low glycemic index also helps control appetite and delay hunger, which can help individuals trying to lose weight.

Acai provides dietary fiber, excellent for digestive tract health, high levels of calcium, vitamins A and E, and phosphorus. Acai has a significant amount of calcium, which help strengthen bones, prevent fractures, and can help prevent osteoporosis. Women who experience extreme menstrual pain can also benefit from Acai. Calcium-rich foods help coat the lining of the stomach and uterus, and help reduce the pain from cramps and bloating.

Acai's dietary fiber helps promote the health of the digestive tract, including the colon. The broad array of antioxidants in Acai may help protect and repair the lower esophagus damaged by acid-reflux disease. Acai's acid-suppression effects reduce the acidity of stomach contents when reflux does occur. The antibacterial properties of Acai kill bad bacteria, fungi and parasites, including ulcer-causing bacteria. Acai's anti-inflammatory abilities may prevent the malabsorption of vital nutrients by preventing damage to the wall of the small intestine.

Acai's phytosterols help reduce the erosion of the skin's protective coating. Because it's so high in anthocyanins and phytosterols, Acai helps protect connective tissues, including collagen. Acai acts as an astringent which contract, shrink or tighten body tissues, including skin. Astringents can be used to stop bleeding in small cuts or to give the skin a fresh, tingling feeling.

Modern science is discovering the life-enhancing benefits of the Amazon "super berry". Research indicates that Acai can help neutralize free radicals, prevent heart disease, thwart cancer, and much more.

Acai contains powerful nutrients, which combine unique properties and ingredients in a single product. There's no other fruit that can be compared with the effectiveness of Acai and no product on the market that can compete with the quality of Amazon Thunder.


Mike Mallek owns Health and Beauty Net, the Source of Cutting-Edge Health Supplements. "We are part of the aging baby-boomer crowd and we maintain that you can't fight old age, but you can control how and in what condition you arrive at your impending destination. It's our goal to give you the tools to enhance your life quality through superior, wholesome, pure and natural health supplements." Health and Beauty Net can be reached on the web at http://www.healthandbeautynet.com/acai.html .


acai complete 6 | acai complete 6 free trial

Acai Scams - Yes Or No?

Acai Scam or Acai Science?

Acai scams is such a nasty name that this topic deserves a serious scientific review to get at some verifiable truths. Most of the information on the Internet is simply repeated, out of ignorance, from a few original sources. Those original sources are the scams. Just for fun I am going to show you how a scientist (me) evaluates the marketing hype behind the big Acai scam.

What I did was to go to one of my favorite medical databases (CAM on PubMed) and simply look up all of the references to the actual published research on the scientific name of acai, Euterpe oleracea. This is the name that scientists use for the species of palm tree that produces acai berries (which are not really berries, by the way). I am going to give you the Cliff Notes version of the results first, then I will append the complete list of each of the nine research articles that have been published in scientific journals.

Scientific Research on Acai

A total of 9 publications came up in my search. The earliest was published in 2004 and the most recent one in 2008. The main results are listed below:
  • 2004 Anthocyanins and similar phytochemicals were isolated and evaluated for antioxidant activity and pigment stability.
  • 2005 Several commercial and non-commercial samples of acai fruit pulp were found to have antioxidant activity; very little of this activity was due to the anthocyanins
  • 2006 Anthocyanins from fruits were found to be potent inhibitors of nitric oxide
  • 2006 Seed extracts show potent antioxidant activity, mostly from as yet unknown ingredients
  • 2007 Extracts of acai pits show vasodilator effect on rat tissue
  • 2007 Acai fruits have good nutritional value
  • 2008 Acai fruit pulp and oil inhibit growth of colon cancer cells in culture; effect is not due to anthocyanins
  • 2008 Class of phytochemicals called lignans discovered; showed protective effect on breast cancer cell cultures that were stressed by hydrogen peroxide
  • 2008 Showed acai pulp to be equivalent to applesauce in increasing plasma antioxidant capacity

Do Research Articles Support Acai Scams?
 In a word, no. The research has nothing to do with the marketing of any acai scam. Note that the vast majority of ads regarding acai offer weight loss claims. You can find all this for yourself with a simple Google search. If you do, then compare what you find with the list of research results that I summarized in the above list. Not one single article has anything to do with weight loss.

You may also run into a handful of articles that advise you to drink acai juice to prevent cancer. One article showed a preliminary result using colon cancer cells in culture. After doing many years of research on cancer cell cultures myself (in my case, brain cancer cells), I can tell you that research on cell cultures rarely has anything to do with cells in a whole person. The reference above from 2008 regarding colon cancer is very, very, very preliminary. Did I say VERY preliminary? No health advice whatsoever can be taken from this lone article.

Acai Scams Are Not Going Away

Many supplement manufacturers have jumped onto this bandwagon. Customers in my retail nutrition store in Tempe, AZ, come in regularly to ask about acai for weight loss and other health benefits. My recommendation is that acai berries contain some antioxidants that are probably beneficial. It is the new berry on the block. Another one will come along soon. Fruits juices litter the supplement landscape. They are all good to some extent. However, the information about acai has reached a level of silliness that I regard as a scam. The big Acai Scam.

What About the Folk History of Acai?

It is not possible to rely on scientific research to guide us for most health claims, simply because such research doesn't keep up with marketing. Scientific research is too slow to find out most the answers we want. This is where folk knowledge can be helpful, especially when herbs have a folk medical history. Unfortunately, the acai berry is more well known as a poor man's fruit juice than as a medicinal herb. People in Brazil, where acai palms are cultivated, are probably laughing in their beer about all the hullabaloo in the U.S. regarding acai. You can read about this plant from the point of view of a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Leslie Nelson, at RainTree Nutrition to see what I mean. Search at RainTree Nutrition for this ethnobotanical review of acai by Dr. Nelson.

Details on References

I welcome you to scan the references that I dug up. The titles below provide a lot of detailed information that only scientists like me get excited about. Enjoy! Don't scientist have a way with words? You can get even more information by looking up the PubMed ID numbers for the complete abstracts of these articles, which I have included. If you look them up, you will also find full journal citations, author names, and the address of the lead institution where the research was conducted.
  1. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers. PubMed ID: 18693743
  2. Lignans and other constituents of the fruits of Euterpe oleracea (Acai) with antioxidant and cytoprotective activities. PubMed ID: 18656934
  3. Absorption and biological activity of phytochemical-rich extracts from acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp and oil in vitro. PubMed ID: 18442253
  4. Characterization of the acai or manaca (Euterpe oleracea Mart.): a fruit of the Amazon. [Article in Spanish] PubMed ID: 17824205
  5. Endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Acai) extracts in mesenteric vascular bed of the rat. PubMed ID: 17049314
  6. Total oxidant scavenging capacity of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (acai) seeds and identification of their polyphenolic compounds. PubMed ID: 16756342
  7. Inhibitory effects of Euterpe oleracea Mart. on nitric oxide production and iNOS expression. PubMed ID: 16635558
  8. Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Acai) fruits. PubMed ID: 16019315
  9. Phytochemical composition and pigment stability of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). PubMed ID: 15030208
If you find yourself wondering about an acai berry scam, just take a look at the list above and see whether anything that you read elsewhere has been addressed by scientific research. More than likely, the answer is, no.

The one thing that a scientific review such as this one does not do is evaluate testimonial evidence. Testimonials are not scientific. However, the medical community does recognize them as case studies when they are documented with the right kind of details. Testimonials often entail the power of the human mind, which is not to be discounted by the absence of science. We really don't have objective statistical protocols for evaluating this kind of evidence.


Dr. Dennis Clark, PhD, retired after 30 years as a professor at Arizona State University. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and owns a retail nutrition store, Doctors Nutrition Center, in Tempe, AZ. His professional research and teaching expertise includes plant biochemistry, integrative medicine, and medical botany. Dr. Clark has co-authored a college-level textbook on plant biology, written popular books on herbal medicine, and published more than three dozen research articles in scientific journals. He invites you to learn more about the views of a research scientist on how to live a long and healthy life naturally, at the HerbScientist's blog at http://HerbScientist.com. You can get your free copy of his scientific report, "The Five Pillars of Basic Nutrition," through his blog.


acai complete 6 | acai complete 6 free trial

The Acai Story

Acai is a palm tree that grows in the North of Brazil and is known by the people as "içá-çai", which means "fruit that cries". Acai Berries grow on an Amazon Palm Tree and have been prized for hundreds of years by the indigenous people of Brazil for their ability to provide a sense of strength, energy, and a high nutritional content. Acai is the only super berry on the market that has everything that you need, naturally from only the berry itself. Acai is considered one of the richest nutritive fruits from the Amazon or the world for that fact. Acai (ah-sigh-ee) is an all-natural energy fruit from Amazon palm berries.

Acai

Acai Medio is normally used in Brazil because it is cheaper and easier to process than the acai especial. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the Amazon rain forests of Brazil. It is Not a Magic Bullet, but It May be Close. While there certainly is no single food that can be considered a magic bullet, Acai must be ranked high among the most powerful and beneficial natural sources of vital minerals, anti-oxidants and nutrients that support a healthy body and lifestyle. It also provides a nearly perfect profile of amino acids plus it contains important vitamins and trace minerals too. Acai also contains two good fatty acids, Omega 6 (Linolenic acid) and Omega 9 (Oleic acid) each of which plays a large role in maintenance of your cardio vascular system. Acai is Loaded with Vitamins and Minerals, Fiber and Proteins Each capsule is a rich source of important nutrients for optimum health and vitality.

Health

We also think that any juice made from a blend of healthy fruits is much better than the soda and sugar filled juices most of the population is drinking now. Health Link Directory Research on Acai has shown that these Anti-Oxidants are known to fight and regulate cholesterol levels in the body. Dietary fiber, which is excellent for digestive tract health. As featured on Oprah, "the benefits from eating healthy are endless. Acai Berries can help a promote a healthier cardio vascular system and digestive tract, because of its synergy of monounsaturated (these are the healthily) fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols. I , of course believe that Acai has tremendous health benefits, but a number of Monavie reps have crossed the line and sold some very sick people a false set of promises. Distributors of Monavie have made unsupported health claims for Mona Vie on various websites. Please consult with a health care professional before starting any supplementation program.

Products

While the Acai berry is clearly a very healthy addition to any diet, many Acai products remain vague in their use of the acai berry. There are many Acai products on the market, but most use confusing proprietary formulas. Acai was recognized for its functional properties for use in food and nutrasutical products. Other companies add a trace amount of Acai to their products just so they can say they have Acai. The products promise the consumer everything, from extra energy to anti-aging benefits.

Energy

The reason that Acai is so great is that it's bursting with antioxidants that protect your health and give you energy. It is usually mixed with energy drinks, ice cream, and even energy bars. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has entered into a distribution agreement with Los Angeles-based Bossa Nova brand acai juices, and Anheuser-Busch adds the fruit to its new energy drink, 180 Blue.

Brazil

In 2004, NBC Today's Matt Lauer hosted an Amazon Rainforest road show from Brazil, reporting that locals now call the legendary Acai Berry the "Viagra of the Amazon. Brazilian athletes, on the other hand, consider Acai as an important staple in their diets. Natives living in the Amazon river region in Northern Brazil, have had as part of their diet the Acai berry for hundreds of years for it's nutritional value. The popularity of the Acai berry is starting to spread from Brazil to the rest of the Americas. It usually grows in the wild Amazonian jungles in Brazil, where it is harvested by natives who have been reaping its health benefits for generations now. The Brazilian natives believe the Acai berry to have amazing healing and nutritional properties.

Super

Perricone named the Acai berry as the #1 Superfood on the Oprah Winfrey show. Acai is the only super berry on the market that has everything that you need, naturally from only the berry itself. " In fact, just about every brightly colored fruit and vegetable fits the category of a superfood, as do nuts, beans, seeds and aromatic and brightly colored herbs and spices. The beneficial properties of each one of these superfoods could fill an entire book.

Acai is considered one of the richest nutritive fruits from the Amazon or the world for that fact. Acai is Not a Magic Bullet, but It May be Close While there certainly is no single food that can be considered a magic bullet, Acai must be ranked high among the most powerful and beneficial natural sources of vital minerals, anti-oxidants and nutrients that support a healthy body and lifestyle. Acai is the only super berry on the market that has everything that you need, naturally from only the berry itself.


This article was written by Jim Swank. For more information on health and nutrition go here: http://www.healthandbizguru.com

Jim Swank has been in the health care field for a number of years. His particular area of expertise is Health - Nutrition and how it helps learning disabilities.


acai complete 6 | acai complete 6 free trial