Acai Health Watch

Canadian television has notified viewers that certain acai berry products, including acai weight loss and anti-aging supplements are impure, and that they contain trace elements of slidenafil, also known as the prescription drug Viagra.  Many of these acai products are available for purchase throughout North America through the Internet.  Serious side effects can occur when Viagra is combined with other medications, so steer clear of these products until we have more information.

• Anti-Aging Acai Berry
• Guarana Blast
• Brazilian Pure
• Anti-aging Vital Rez V
• Weight Loss VitalAcai
• Dietary Supplement Acai Power Blast
• Muscle Mass

CTV News | Health Canada warns against using certain acai products.

You’ll often see acai berry products described as having an ORAC value.  ORAC (or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a way to measure antioxidant capacity in fruits and vegetables.  As you may know, the acai berry is known to contain high levels of antioxidants and thus, a high ORAC value.

Marketers of acai berry and other products suggest that because of the high ORAC level present in the food or drink, it has disease fighting properties.  Chicago Tribune health expert Julie Deardorf reveals the truth behind the claims of some acai berry product marketers.

“It is true that plant-based foods contain phytochemicals with antioxidant properties, and people who eat large amounts have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

However, “just because a food or beverage scores well with the ORAC test doesn’t guarantee that it can cure, treat or even prevent disease, though it certainly warrants further investigation,” said Diane McKay, an antioxidant researcher at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.”

Julie’s Health Club: Health claims: Antioxidant drinks.

The entire mess of acai berry supplement marketers (aka scammers) has been somewhat difficult to follow.   Basically what happened is that dozens of acai berry supplement makers have inappropriately used the names of Oprah Winfrey, Mehmet Oz and Dr. Perricone to market their products.

Straight from Oprah.com, this article details the complaint filed by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz on how they never sponsored or endorsed the acai berry or other dietary supplements.

“Harpo, Inc. has filed this lawsuit to let consumers know that these internet marketers are willfully using the names of well-known figures to deceive the public. Neither Ms. Winfrey nor Dr. Oz has ever sponsored or endorsed any acai, resveratrol or dietary supplement product and cannot vouch for their safety or effectiveness. It is our intention to put an end to these companies’ false claims and increasingly deceptive practices.”

The Truth About Oprah, Dr. Oz, Acai, Resveratrol and Colon Cleanse – Oprah.com.

One of the reasons why the acai berry has been associated with scams is because of the false claims.  Acai berry produce makers and distributors have been found to invent or bend scientific information to support their claims that the acai berry is key to losing weight.

What do the experts say about the acai berry and weight loss?  Basically, there’s not enough scientific evidence of acai’s ability to promote weight loss any more than another antioxidant-rich fruit.

Here’s what health expert Martica Heaner says about the acai berry weight loss hype:

“As far as weight loss goes, there’s no plausible mechanism that has been shown for why acai berry products might aid weight loss. Fruit can help with weight loss because it is high in fiber and nutrients and has few calories. Once fruit is turned into juice, however, it becomes another sweetened drink, often adding surplus calories to a diet that can lead to weight gain, not loss, if not monitored.

While many ask, “Is the acai berry a superfood with super benefits,” perhaps the real question is this: “Is any food a ‘super food?’”

Beware of the Hype on Acai Berries – MSN Health & Fitness – Weight Loss.

This article makes some interesting points about the nutritional aspects of acai berry juices, the way acai products are marketed, and the unsustainable farming practices.  It suggests that acai is largely a “Girl from Ipanema” fantasy and that the nutritional value is mostly fabrication or spin.  Acai, it suggests, is simply part of a marketing trend involving products from faraway lands such as noni, goji berries and mangosteen.

Certainly there are unscrupulous players in the acai berry supplement industry, but the article makes blanket statements about the superfruits as a whole.  Are the health benefits received by acai consumers worldwide just the claims of people who “have been had?”

“In truth, what we’re guzzling by the gallon is masterful marketing. Rather than being a “global wonderberry,” acai might better be described as an overhyped jungle juice that’s no better for your health than the average orange. Instead of the happy tale of the little berry that could, the acai phenomenon is really just the latest example of how time and time again we turn off our brains and open our wallets when we’re presented with a bottle of exotic “superfruit” juice that’s been packaged as some kind of shortcut to immortality.

In other words, we’ve been had.”

Pulp Fiction – Page 1 – MSN Health & Fitness – Nutrition.