1. Açaí Berries

2. What are acai berries? Fruit from the açaí palm. Açaí palm is native to Central and South America. Yields 1 inch black-purple drupe. 20% edible, 80% seed. Sold as frozen pulp, juice, or ingredient in items such as alcohol, smoothies, food, supplements.

3. Supplement Uses Arthritis High cholesterol Detoxification Weight loss Helps to fight cancer Improving mental function Anti-aging Energy boosting Reduce irritation Improving general health Heart health

4. Nutritional Content Powered preparation of fruit and pulp per 100g contains 533.9 calories. 52.2g carbohydrates, 8.1g protein, and 32.5g fat. 44.2g is dietary fiber! (Keep this in mind later!)

5. Antioxidant Freeze dried acai fruit powder including pulp and skin was evaluated. Found to have high activity against superoxide in superoxide scavenging (SOD) assay.  efficient antioxidant! Highest SOD of any fruit or vegetable tested, as of 2006. Potential COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor.

6. Metabolic Parameters 10 overweight adults ate 100 g açai pulp twice daily for 1 month. Monitored fasting plasma glucose, insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides. After 30 days reduction in fasting glucose, insulin, significant reductions in LDL. Uncontrolled pilot study, warrants further investigation.

7. Pain, Range of Motion, Antioxidant Levels 14 participants consumed 4oz MonaVie Daily. At 12 weeks, ROM, pain, & antioxidant levels all improved Not double blind, cannot rule out placebo effect & study was small. Data showed correlation between low antioxidant status and elevated pain levels.

8. Boosting Immune Response Evidence shows promising results in boosting overall immune function. Investigation needed to see if response can be obtained following oral ingestion due to variables such as pH, gastric enzymes, normal flora, etc. Issues with boosting immune function response?

9. Inducing Cell Apoptosis in Leukemia Cells Polyphenolic fractions at 0.17-10.7 microM were found to reduce cell proliferation from 56-86% likely due to caspase-3 activation (apoptosis)

10. What’s Next? More studies! Cancer and immune response studies need to focus on in vivo rather than in vitro.

11. Sources "Açaí Palm." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.. "Açai (Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) Polyphenolics in Their Glycoside and Aglycone Forms Induce Apoptosis of HL-60 Leukemia Cells." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 22 Feb. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.. "Antioxidant Capacity and Other Bioactivities of the Freeze-dried Amazonian Palm Berry, Euterpe Oleraceae Mart. (acai)." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Nov. 2006. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.. "Pain Reduction and Improvement in Range of Motion After Daily Consumption of an Açai (Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) Pulp–Fortified Polyphenolic-Rich Fruit and Berry Juice Blend." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 July 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.. "Polysaccharides Isolated from Açaí Fruit Induce Innate Immune Responses." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.. Udani, Jay K., Betsy B. Singh, Vijay J. Singh, and Marilyn L. Barrett. "Effects of Açai (Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) Berry Preparation on Metabolic Parameters in a Healthy Overweight Population: A Pilot Study." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 12 May 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2014..