The body uses antioxidants to reduce the damage that free radicals can cause. It is possible that when people eat foods that contain antioxidants, they are supporting this process and acai berries are loaded with antioxidants. Here Kerri-Ann Jennings, MS, RD, HealthLine.com, reflects on the impressive health benefits of acai berries:

 

“Acai berries are a Brazilian “superfruit.” They're native to the Amazon region where they're a staple food.

However, they've recently gained popularity globally and are praised for being particularly beneficial to health and well-being.

This dark purple fruit certainly packs a lot of nutrition, and it may even have some health benefits, including the 5 described in this article.

What Are Acai Berries?

Acai berries are 1-inch (2.5-cm) round fruits that grow on acai palm trees in the rainforests of Central and South America. They have a dark purple skin and yellow flesh surrounding a large seed.

Because they contain pits like apricots and olives, they're technically not a berry, but rather a drupe. Nevertheless, they're commonly referred to as berries.

In the Amazon rainforest, acai berries frequently accompany meals.

To make them edible, they are soaked to soften the tough outer skin and then mashed to form a dark purple paste.

They have an earthy taste that's often described as a cross between blackberries and unsweetened chocolate.

Fresh acai berries have a short shelf life and aren't available outside of where they are grown. As an export, they are sold as a frozen fruit purée, dried powder or pressed juice.

Acai berries are also sometimes used to flavor food products, including jelly beans and ice cream, while some non-food items like body creams contain acai oil.

They're Nutrient-Dense

Acai berries have a unique nutritional profile for a fruit, as they're somewhat high in fat and low in sugar.

100 grams of frozen fruit pulp has the following nutritional breakdown (1Trusted Source):

• Calories: 70
• Fat: 5 grams
• Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
• Carbs: 4 grams
• Sugar: 2 grams
• Fiber 2 grams
• Vitamin A: 15% of the RDI
• Calcium: 2% of the RDI

According to a Venezuelan study, acai berries also contain some other trace minerals, including chromium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus (2Trusted Source).

But some of acai's most powerful health benefits come from plant compounds.

The most notable one among these is anthocyanins, which give acai berries their deep purple color and act as antioxidants in the body.

You can also find anthocyanins in other blue, black and purple foods, such as black beans and blueberries.

They May Have a Possible Anti-Cancer Effect

While no one food is a magic shield against cancer, some foods are known to stop cancer cells from forming and spreading.

Both test-tube and animal studies have revealed this sort of anti-cancer effect in acai (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

In mice, acai pulp has reduced the incidence of colon and bladder cancer (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

However, a second study in mice found that it had no effect on stomach cancer (18Trusted Source).

Researchers have concluded that acai could have a role in treating cancer in the future, yet more research is needed, including in humans.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-acai-berries#section5