Acai Berry Super Fruit

There has been a lot of publicity for the South American acai berry lately - with many people eagerly seeking to lose weight or gain muscle or just hold off the bane of old age by eating and drinking acai berry products.

Needless to say, many people are also seeking acai berry information online.

This article aims to inform you a little better about the health benefits of berries in general, to give you an idea of what is special about the acai berry.

Fruits and berries are of course a recognised element in any healthy diet since they provide valuable dietary fiber, pure water, minerals, vitamins, simple sugars and a variety of other compounds which, depending on the fruit and which authority you read, can have many different positive effects on your health.

For example, blackcurrants (as well as being delicious) are a very good source of dietary fiber, boasting 7.8g of fiber per hundred grams of the fruit. But acai berry extracts are far, far higher in fiber because of the quantity of seeds in these tropical fruit. Blackcurrants likewise are high in a highly absorbable form of vitamin C, which helps prevent infectious disease and keeps the body's connective tissue healthy. Naturally, the acai berry has an excellent level of vitamin C; although some of this is lost in processing and packaging, other antioxidant substances in the fruit still help counteract the stresses of a modern lifestyle.

One clear benefit of all fruits, whatever their colour, is that they don't contain any saturated fat (in fact most fruits don't contain any fat at all -- the avocado is an exception). However, fruits in general do not contain fatty acids, which the body does need plenty of. Again, acai berry extracts score well because of the seed content, which, when included in an acai product, provides not only the fatty acids of the fruit but also a selection of amino acids - necessary for the body to build and repair tissue.

Most fruits are pretty good immunity boosters (meaning that they help your body fight off disease, bacteria, fungi and other possible infections). It's long been known to native tribes that dark-coloured fruits such as blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants have useful medicinal properties when turned into juices, food mixtures and even jellies. The acai berry is no exception, being a popular fruit in its native South America and indeed forming the staple diet of local tribes. Just for comparison, consider the fact that the humble blueberry contains five times as many antioxidants as broccoli, carrots or apples.

Part of the dark colour in these fruits is produced by plant substances called anthocyanins which in the human diet help strengthen the walls of the capillaries, so improving circulation and helping the blood circulate nutrients and oxygen more effectively to the body. Such fruits, including dried and juiced products, also contain useful tannins, which are substances that help fight bacteria in the body and especially in the urinary system. Like most fruits, the acai berry helps the body to ward off various types of cancer, while the mixture of vitamins, minerals and plant substances it provides are also helpful in preventing inflammation and fatigue.