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Can eating acai berries cause side effects?
You may have recently heard about acai berry, the fruit of the South American acai palm. Since it has been so heavily marketed as a diet product, many individuals are wondering if consumption involves the same risk of a regular diet supplement such as ephedrine or a pharmaceutical. Perhaps this thinking is due to the extract form it often comes in. Often times people must assume that eating the extract of a berry somehow makes it more conducive to side effects.
Have you ever heard of someone having a negative reaction to a blueberry? Probably not. Considering that an acai berry is not too different from a blueberry, you most likely do not need to worry about any side effects. Similarly, no study has ever proven that acai berry causes side effects in non-allergic individuals. No matter if the extract form of acai you're taking is more potent than a puree or the whole berry, you should only experience positive effects.
One of the only fruits shown to cause interactions with a wide variety of drugs is grapefruit. Acai berry does not contain the chemical responsible for the reactions that grapefruit causes. People who are taking a statin drug or similar must surely be wondering if acai berry can cause an interaction. The answer is mostly likely no. Of course anything is possible, but no studies have yet shown that acai berry will cause an interaction with any specific pharmaceutical.
On the other hand, consuming acai berries can potentially be very beneficial. As you may well know, they have been shown to have as much and even greater quantities of antioxidants than similar fruits such as black cherries and cranberries. This depends on the species of acai berry, as the white variety of acai doesn't contain as many antioxidants as the purple kind, but it unlikely that you will come across the white variety.
A recent study has shown that acai berries may actually be able to decrease inflammation.[1] During the study it was determined that acai berry is a potential COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor. COX-1 and COX-2 are the enzymes responsible for pain and inflammation. This should be welcome news to anyone who suffers from the pain caused by inflammation. Inflammation is the cause of a number of conditions, so even if you're not currently affected by it, supplementing with acai may be good for prevention if acai is indeed a COX inhibitor.
Acai berry has recently been marketed as a weight loss and diet supplement, so it would be natural to assume it may have potential side effects. No scientific studies have found that supplementation with acai berry causes any side effects in people who are not allergic. You may not enjoy the flavor of the acai berry, which could be a side effect, but that is also highly unlikely since acai is quite delicious.
Reference:
1. Schauss A, Xianli W, Prior R, Ou B, Huang D, Owens J, Agarwal A, Jensen G, Hart A, Shanbrom E. Antioxidant Capacity and Other Bioactivities of the Freeze-Dried Amazonian Palm Berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (Acai). J Agric Food Chem 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8604-10. PMID: 17061840
About the Author Mark Goodman is an acai berry lover and nutrition expert who has written several articles on the subject. Contact Mark if you need any more information about acai berry side effects.
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