Diet Safety: Acai and the New You

Megan Roth

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The Acai berry – I like to think of it as the pomegranate of 2009 (remember a couple of years ago when the pomegranate was hyped up all over the news for its health benefits? Well, a new superfood has taken its place: the acai berry).

The acai berry is praised not only for its many, many health benefits, but also for its ability to help consumers lose weight.

In fact, its weight loss powers are so great that the fruit serves as a primary ingredient in the top three weight loss products for 2009. It’s true, the delectable fruit has a natural combination of omegas, fiber, phystosterols and amino acids which (when combined together) enable you body to burn fat faster and more efficiently.

Makes sense, then, that many weight loss products publicize (like crazy) the fact that their product contains Acai, which is also intended to help cleanse the body.

Yet, despite its cleansing abilities, the super-food differs from many other weight loss aids in that it doesn’t immediately flush your entire system (meaning it doesn’t work like a laxative, as many diet pills seem to do – in fact, consumption of the berry shouldn’t alter your “restroom needs” at all).

And as an added perk, the weight doesn’t pile back on when you quit taking the berry in whatever supplemental form you’re taking it in.

True to form, however, I’m skeptical. The diet aid sounds too good to be true, which leads me to believe it probably is. I did some reading – here’s what I came up with.

There are no known side effects to the Acai berry (outside of the rare allergic reaction), provided you use it in its natural form. Unfortunately, with the wide variety of health and weight loss products on the market, it can be confusing when picking out a product. Those that don’t explicitly state they’re natural probably aren’t, which means taking them could lead to a whole slew of unwanted side effects.

For example, Acai is often combined with Guarana, which contains caffeine. Those using the combo products put themselves at risk for caffeine-related health issues, such as increased heart rate and/or blood pressure, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, etc.

Another questionable aspect of the drug? It may not be all that in the way that it claims. The berry is also marketed for its anti-aging capabilities; unfortunately, however, the supplement may not be as capable as it claims. And while this isn’t necessarily a “risk” or unwanted “side effect,” it does make us question the legitimacy of the fruit’s other claims.

I, for example, am already Googling whether or not the berry can actually reduce one’s risk of developing cancer and other diseases.

In comparison to other weight-loss aids / supplements, the acai berry carries minimum risks. In fact, it seems safe to say that, outside of the potential for an allergic reaction (which is really a risk of any and all consumer goods rather than one specific to the super food alone), there is really only one other point that raises concern: do acai berry supplements really contain acai?

Like I said, this is really the only point for concern as it seems negative side effects only occur when acai is not left in its original form.

As always, demonstrate caution when purchasing such products; if you’ve already experienced adverse side effects in result of using such supplements, contact the Lombardi Law Firm for assistance.