Berry Fights Cancer According to Study
August 9, 2009 by Zane Abden
Filed under Zane's Health Tips
In a first to investigate the acai berry, the University of Florida found in a recent study that the fruit contained enough antioxidants to destroy human cancer cells.
The acai berry extract triggered a self-destruct response where in 86 percent of the cases it destroyed leukemia cells where this information was originally printed and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
A abundant source of antioxidants which fight and prevent harmful acai from entering the body can be found in the acai berry. This research has strengthened the hypothesis that adding an acai berry extract can be very beneficial to the human body.
The study also noted that it is not intended to show that leukemic can be cured in humans with the the acai berry elements.
The results were never intended to raise any false hope of a cure for leukemia as the trials were performed under the cell-culture model. The findings still are very promising. Cases have shown that compounds that prove well in a cell-culture model have also done well when tested on humans.
Other fruits have proven similar results in killing cancer cells like mangoes, grapes and guavas. Scientist are still unsure what role antioxidants play in fighting cancer cells as there are other factors that come into play as well.
Acai berry must be consumed shortly after they are picked which is why so little is known about them. The process of being able to maintain the valuable qualities is so new that very little research has ever been done on this fruit.
The Euterpe oleracea is the palm tree that produces the acai berry, and are commonly found along the flood plains of the amazon river. The color of the berry is a dark purple and the size of a blue berry. There is a large seed that is surrounded by an edible pulp encased in a thin layer.
The indigenous people of the amazon have used the acai berry to treat symptoms ranging from digestive disorders to skin conditions. The acai berry has also been proven recently to help loose weight and gain energy.
