The Question Everyone Is Asking: What Is Acai Good For?

The acai berry has experience a recent explosion in the supplement market, but many people have been left wondering, “What is acai good for?” You will hear a lot of hype about the little berry. People will tout it as a miracle cure for just about everything you can imagine. But you really need to understand the science behind the berry in order to understand what impact it will have upon you. So let’s break things down a little.

Combating Free Radicals with Antioxidants

A common notion we usually have upon hearing the words antioxidants and free radicals is that these two have an ongoing battle inside our bodies, the free radical being the destructive substance and the antioxidant, the body’s defender. Free radicals are atoms which lack an electron to complete a pair, and they go from atom to atom, stealing electrons wherever they can. This process produces even more free radicals and while free radicals are normal occurrences in the body, too many of them lead to cellular damage, and in turn, diseases. The process by which cells are damaged is called oxidation. Antioxidants therefore, are named as such because they slow down the oxidation caused by free radicals.

and The French Paradox

Tired of hearing the words ‘antioxidant’ and ‘free radical’? Still asking what is acai good for? Here’s something you may not have heard of; The French Paradox. The French Paradox is a shining example of what anthocyanins, a pigment found in acai berries, can do. The typical French diet consists of saturated fats, yet French people have a very low rate of coronary heart disease. The mystery was uncovered when it was shown that the anthocyanins in their red wine were actually combating their high fat intake. Clearly, red wine is still not a health food as the alcohol can be quite dangerous in other ways. But the acai berry contains all the healthy properties of the red wine, without the alcohol.

Is No Fat Good Fat?

Not at all. In fact, fat often gets a bum rap. While the term ‘good fat’ may sound like an oxymoron, acai berries actually contain unsaturated fats, which can lower bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol. Unsaturated fats contain omega fatty acids, some of which the body cannot produce by itself, which have many healthful properties.

So does all of this mean that the acai berry supplement is a miracle cure for everything that ails you? Hardly. And anyone who tells you it is just wants your money. But the acai is a amazing little fruit which contains many healthy compounds that your body loves. So if you are still asking what is acai good for, the answer is that it is simply good for you!

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