Saturday, May 2, 2009

Acai Berry's Benefits and Side Effects

By Jessica Matias

Acai berries were discovered in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The fruit is said to be used by the natives for centuries already as part of their diet. It wasn't known to the Americans until recently when nutritionists and health experts found out about its health benefits. Acai berry is said to be the number one antioxidant food on earth.

Cleansing out toxins from our system is an important role of antioxidants. They are helpful in fighting cancer cells and in eliminating toxins accumulated in the body from the food that we eat and the pollutants that we encounter everyday. One of the benefits of the acai berry is that it has high antioxidant content. It is said to have 300 percent more antioxidant capacities when compared to other fruits. When you have more antioxidants in your body, you become healthier. It is no wonder then that the Amazon rainforest natives are healthier and free from harmful toxins that can cause various diseases.

Acai berry is a great way to fight obesity, too. Isn't it great? Yes, it is. Obesity is one of the major problems nowadays because of unhealthy food and lifestyle that most of us have. Well, it can no longer be much of a problem because acai berry has the combination of antioxidants, amino and essential fatty acids that help a lot to burn fats. It will help you achieve the balanced weight that's just perfect for your body.

Acai berry can help boost our immune system to fight diseases. Again, because acai berry has a great amount of antioxidants, toxins are flushed out of the body. Combined with other essential acids, it can be an anti-viral and anti-bacterial agent which is a great boost for our immune system. This can be achieved when acai berry becomes part of our regular diet.

To prevent heart diseases, our body should have low levels of bad cholesterol known as LDL which is a big threat to the heart. On the other hand, our body should maintain high level of good cholesterol known as HDL to promote a healthy heart. Acai berry can help fight bad cholesterol and maintain a considerable amount of the good ones. Vitamins A, D, E and K are better absorbed with the help of acai berry as well.

Would you also believe that attaining good eyesight can be achieved with acai berry? Well, you better believe it. Acai berry also contains an antioxidant found in bilberries known as anthocyanins that can help relieve eye strain and improve eyesight. The anthocyanins, when combined with other antioxidants found in acai berry, can fight other eye diseases such as glaucoma.

When it comes to stamina, acai berry is also a great help. It's really simple. When your body is healthy and free from diseases combined with a great immune system, it has more capacity to provide you more energy which can help you gain more stamina. Simple, right? This is a must for athletes. So if you are one, why not try eating acai berries before your game and see the results?

After enumerating the wondrous benefits of acai berry, let us explore the possible side effects of it. As already mentioned earlier, prior to the discovery of this fruit by the United States, the natives of the Amazon rainforest have been eating it for hundreds of years now. Thus far, there have been no reported negative effects of their continued consumption.

One thing that's been observed though is that you'll lose your appetite after consuming this fruit. I don't think that it's a side effect for most people. Those who doesn't want to gain weight will view this as a positive thing. But again, it's still a side effect for some.

Another negative effect is not towards the body but the wallet. Due to the increased popularity and high demand, most manufacturers have jumped into the acai berry bandwagon. Consequently, it can be costly to buy products that contain acai berry. Although the raw form of acai berry has considerably no side effects, supplements and other processed acai berries sold in the market are not guaranteed to be side-effect free. Manufacturers may have already added other substances, such as caffeine, to their products that may have negative effects on some consumers. Always check the labels for nutrition facts and ingredients information to be certain. Better safe than sorry.

Always remember this, weigh the acai berry benefits versus the acai berry side effects. I'm sure that the positive effects will weigh more than the side effects.

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1 comment:

Stephen said...

Hi,

Nice post! Acai berries increases metabolism and improves mental clarity. So buy acai berry now and enjoy the benefits.