On a large palm growing indigenously along the Amazon River and its tributaries and estuaries in South America grows a fruit known as acai. This fruit has become a great economic asset to the native people, especially in recent years as people around the world started discovering the numerous health benefits enjoyed by these peoples for centuries.
Studies as recent as 2010 published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, have demonstrated a large number of benefits to freeze dried Acai. One study demonstrates that the fruit has significantly high antioxidant capacities, which in plain English means it has the capacity to rid the body of harmful free radicals. In particular, it was found to have exceptional activity against certain types of radicals and in at least two instances by far the highest of any fruit or vegetable tested to date.
Further investigation shows that the antioxidants in acai are able to enter fully functioning human cells to perform these functions and can be differentiated into "slow-acting" and "fast-acting" components. The same study also found potential anti-inflammatory properties that can be gained from the consumption of freeze-dried acai.
Another study investigated the content amounts of different beneficial chemical compounds present in freeze-dried acai. Each of these compounds has been studied and can be discussed in great detail. However, since there are so many, I've decided to only briefly list each and name the major benefits of the most important ones.
Anthocyanins -ACN's (3.192mg/g of dry weight). Besides being a coloring agent for wines and fruit juices and offering beautiful shades of purple to various flowers and fruits, anthocyanins also has many health promoting properties. Foremost are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (it was found to have the strongest antioxidizing power of 150 flavonoids tested). Thus by reducing inflammation and preventing oxidative damage, anthocyanins have been demonstrated to help prevent damage to the nervous system, large blood vessels and small blood vessels as well as having roles in improving certain conditions related to diabetes and to eyesight.
Proanthocyanidins - PAC's (12.89 mg/g DW). These phytochemicals has been demonstrated to improve insulin sensitivity, ameliorate free radical formation and reduce some symptoms of chronic age-related age-related disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
Other flavonoids included taxifolin deoxyhexose, isovitexin, homoorientin, scoparin, orientin and several that were as yet unknown (one can only speculate the benefits of those).
Fatty acids broke down into polyunsaturated (most beneficial to the body) at 11.1% of the total, monounsaturated (also a very beneficial and easily digestible form of fat) at 60.2% and saturated (the least disirable but still needed) only at 28.7% of the total fatty acid content. Oleic acid (53.9%) and palmitic acid (26.7%) were found to be the two dominant fatty acids.
Nineteen amino acids (that are needed for digestion) were found in freeze dried Acai and the total content was determined to be 7.6% of total weight.
If you are as intrigued as I by these findings and was and hoping to find a good source to buy pure organic freeze-dried Acai Powder from, I have found a very serious and well-priced source at http://www.acaiberrypurebulk.com
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