Acai Berry — Cure All or Snake Oil?

The Acai Berry Is It A “Cure-All” Or Is It “Snake Oil”?

The acai berry has taken the world by storm, and a great deal of confusion exists pertaining to the properties and attributes assigned to this fruit.  People are coming forward with incredible stories of changes which are occurring in their physical bodies as they begin to consume acai berry products on a regular basis.   It begs one to ask the question, “Is the acai berry a cure-all, or simply a new generation of snake oil?”

One has to be very careful when they make claims of a medical nature pertaining to a product.  When it comes to the acai berry, one basic truth must prevail–the acai berry is a fruit, it is NOT a medicine.

As of 2006, only 50 to 70 percent of the properties with in this fruit had been scientifically identified.  There is still a great deal of research needed to come to a full understanding of the true potential of this fruit.

We know that vegetables and fruits carry nutrients which aid the functions in our bodies.  So too does the acai berry.

We know that if the human body is deficient in any area of nutrition it will begin to show signs of disease and or sickness.

We know the nutrient deficient body, when fed a proper level of nutrients responds, by showing an reduction in the symptoms displayed by a nutrient deficiency.  In other words, the body makes a course correction, and repairs take place naturally, where possible.

The acai berry is a fruit that in the early stages appears to enable the human body to do massive oxidization repair at the cellular level.  The acai berry is a known high source of anti-oxidants.  How do we best understand this?

If you take a brand new nail, you will notice it is a relatively shiny piece of metal.  Expose that nail to the elements for a period of time, and that once shiny piece of metal begins to show signs of rusting and decay.  The nail, exposed to oxygen, begins to oxidize. It begins to look old and breaks down.

The human body is much the same way.  At the cell level, our cells “oxidize” or sustain weakening damage from the presence of free radicals in our system.  Free radicals occur naturally in our bodies, and they also gain access to our body from outside environmental sources.  Free radicals cannot be avoided, therefore to counter act the oxidization process within our bodies which cause issues such as sickness and premature aging, we must place into our bodies a daily intake of antioxidants.  The challenge is our diet.  The typical North American diet is highly deficient in the area of meeting our daily required levels of antioxidants.  In fact, the typical North American diet only provides approximately 10 percent of the daily required intake of antioxidants.  Over time, North Americans have begun to show signs of an ongoing antioxidant deficiency through elevated cases of disease, sickness, and premature aging.

Is the acai berry snake oil, or more commonly thought of as a placebo effect providing a solution through “mind over matter”?  Truthfully, nothing could be further from the truth.

The acai berry is a fruit that’s high in antioxidants.  In fact, based on the North American diet, it’s 10 to 30 times more powerful in the area of antioxidants, than many of the fruits we once thought to be high antioxidant sources such as red grapes, mangoes, etc.  People who are noticing a dramatic change in their bodies as a result of consuming the acai berry, are really seeing their bodies respond to an intake of healthier nutrition.  They are observing how their body responds when a nutrient deficiency is suddenly satisfied.

What about claims of the acai berry improving arthritis?

Again, at this time there is no medical evidence to suggest the acai berry has medicinal abilities to cure arthritis.

HOWEVER, the acai berry does have a high level of essential fats and oils.  We know from a nutritional position, that people who struggle with arthritis tend to experience a lessening of their symptoms when they increase their intake of fish oils.  Their arthritis does not go away, but their symptoms decrease and along with the reduction in symptoms comes a reduction in pain and an increase in positive lifestyles.

The acai berry has essential fats and oils which, by far, surpass the quality and concentration of oils found in fish oils.  One can consume less of the oils and fats in the acai berry and obtain greater benefits than they would from an equal amount of fish oil.

Again, this is a nutritional response on the part of the body–NOT a medicinal one.  There is no guarantee that any two people will gain the same experience in the relief of their arthritis symptoms.  Most people do experience a positive impact on their arthritis symptoms, but it would be wrong to promote the acai berry as an arthritis medication.

It can be properly stated that the acai berry appears to possess some very strong anti-inflammatory properties.

People with known or recognized medical conditions, who use the acai berry, should continue to have their conditions monitored by a medical practitioner.  The acai berry should never be thought of as a replacement for medications, but it should be stated that people who have begun to include the acai berry into their daily diet, over time, have been able to reduce their medications and in some cases come off their medications totally.  Once again, the removal of any medication regimes should be done based on your physician’s instructions.

Is the acai berry snake oil?

Yes, and no.

On it’s own and in a pure or concentrated form, the acai berry is a very nutritious fruit through which some people are experiencing incredible improvement in their over all health and lifestyle.

In manufactured products, sometimes the name “Acai Berry” is pasted onto a label of a product to take advantage of a marketing craze, when in reality there might only be a minute trace of acai berry in the product itself.  If people consume those products expecting to experience the same benefits of pure acai berry, then they will walk away disappointed, disillusioned, thinking the acai berry is a snake oil.

The acai berry is not a cure all–it is a rich food source.

The acai berry is not snake oil–it is a quality source of good nutrition to which deficient bodies respond positively.

Copyright 2010 James C. Tanner. All rights reserved.

James C. Tanner of www.jamesctanner.com, www.horse-colic.net, and www.breaking-jobs-news.com is a writer, researcher, and speaker who is recognized by 84 publishers.  His personal experience with the acai berry has been described by some, as nothing short of the miraculous.