The health benefits of the acai berry have been gaining traction throughout the world in the last several years. While more research remains to be conducted to find out the exact health benefits of the acai berry, what is known so far is quite promising.

The Acai berry, a buzz-worthy health food now becoming more popular in the United States and around the world, comes from the Acai palm, which is found in Central and South America. Particularly prevalent in the Amazon Rain forest and most popular in Brazil, where some natives say acai berries account for nearly half of their total food intake acai berries provide incredible health benefits to those that eat it.

The berry itself looks fairly similar to a grape, but it far surpasses the average grape in terms of health benefits to the human body. It actually contains approximately ten times more antioxidants than grapes, twice as many as antioxidant-rich blueberries and thirty times as many anthocyanins as red wine. Anthocyanins, a type of antioxidants, have been found to be useful in slowing the aging process, keeping eyes healthy and protecting the nervous system. Antioxidants are important to the human body because they help fight off illness and tissue damage. Free radicals cause damage to healthy cells in your body, and antioxidants essentially take the place of those healthy cells to combat the free radicals. Although studies on the different forms of acai berries (the whole fruit, juice, extract, dried powder) produce varying results on the amount of antioxidants prevalent in the fruit, there is undoubtedly a great deal of antioxidants in the acai berry in any form.

There are many other health benefits of the acai berry and including it in your diet. It contains healthy omega-fats and essential fatty acids, similar to those found in olive oil. These help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while maintaining HDL (good) cholesterol levels. These omega-fats and fatty acids are great for the cardiovascular system as a whole and help to ensure a healthy heart. The nutritional content of acai berries is actually very fascinating. They contains a high amount of quality protein. Protein helps the body build and maintain muscle and is important towards overall muscle quality and body health. There is also a substantive amount of dietary fiber found in the acai fiber which is great for the digestive system. There are also enzymes and other similar compounds that aid in digestion found in the acai berry. Additionally, there are many other vitamins that help promote overall body health.

It is easy to see why acai berries are the new "it" super foods and have been used in smoothies and drinks in Brazilian health clubs and restaurants for quite some time. A study by the University of Florida even found that extracts from the berry caused leukemia cancer cells to shut down. Although it will be some time before their full powers are understood and harvested, it is still a powerful testimonial to the healthy compounds that reside in the berry. The health benefits of the acai berry have just been gaining traction throughout the world in the last several years. This is because the berries are quite perishable, and it has only been in the last few years where packaged products containing the acai berry have been widely available for study and for use. While more research remains to be conducted to find out the exact health benefits of acai berries, what is known so far is quite promising.