Berries are fantastic at slowing down aging and acai berries are among the top superfoods of choice. With high levels of anti-oxidants and phytochemicals to ensure your brain and skin stay young, these acai berry superfoods will bring down your risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The Rapidly Rising Popularity of Acai

Once a media darling, the Brazilian breakfast bowl included acai berries with their touted health benefits that defied imagination. Even then, the hype was loud – and it only got worse. In all the regulatory backlash, focus shifted from the good that acai berries could deliver and onto the exaggerated claims and false promises.

Acai tastes like a delicious combination of berries, banana and granola. A native of South America, the acai berry is fruit of tall palm trees known as Euterpe oleracea that are found in the Amazon rainforest. When the health benefits of this small purple berry were first discovered, its popularity in the Western world exploded.

Acai Berry And Its Antioxidant Army

Anthocyanins in acai are pigments giving plants a blue or purple color. They are phytochemicals that safeguard against cell damage and inflammation. Anthocyanins have a protective effect upon your heart and brain. Berries like acai, apples and red grapes are rich in anthocyanins.

In addition to the 19 aminoacids, trace metals, minerals and mono-unsaturated fatty acids found in acai berry, what truly makes this a superfood superstar is the high level of antioxidants. Other than anthocyanins, acai also has proanthocyanidins and other flavanoids that confer an anti-aging, immunity-boosting, disease-preventing effect.

Heart Healthy Acai Berry Also Fights Cancer

Acai is good for the heart, the anthocyanins lowering blood vessel inflammation and serving as natural vasodilators that relax muscle in artery walls. Acai berry also lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood, both of which reduce the risk of heart disease.

The protective influence of acai may extend beyond this role. A report in one of the nutrition journals observed the effect of acai berries on diabetes and heart disease among obese individuals. Within one month of consuming 200 grams of acai berries every day, research subjects had lesser bad cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

The flavonoid content of acai berry protects against cancer. Extract from acai berry has been shown on trials to encourage leukaemia cells to self-destruct. While these results are not directly translatable to clinical practice, the findings are suggestive of a potential benefit that needs further study.

Acai As Antiaging Superfood

Many fans tout its ability to slow down aging and increase longevity. As an antiaging superfood, acai berries have gained press publicity – and later, notoriety.

The inflammation-lowering effect of acai does slow down age-related changes in the brain, protecting brain cells from the erosive influence of growing older. Diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can potentially be held at bay by eating these superfoods.

Anti-aging effects are more dramatic and visible in your skin. Acai berries boost levels of antioxidants (like chia seed), helping with age-related changes such as hyperpigmentation. Consumed as fruit or applied locally as a cream or lotion, acai berry extract can make your skin glow.

Where To Get Acai Berries?

Though acai doesn’t grow outside South America, its extract and products like juices and smoothies, powders and sherbets are widely distributed around the world in health food stores and even supermarkets.

Pure, unsweetened, frozen acai berry pulp is probably the best choice for home use. The flavor is sharp, but when combined with other fruits like cherries, bananas or blueberries, acai lends a delicious flavor to dishes.

Acai berry can be added to juices, smoothies, cereal, desserts and salads. Ready-to-drink juices are often mixed and diluted to the point of uselessness, so beware before you buy those.

As one of the most popular superfoods around, acai berry is a worthy inclusion in your eating choices. To learn more about acai and other superfoods, you might want to pick up one of these superfoods guides…