Acai Berry Side Effects and Benefits

Unless you have been cut off from TV, Magazines, and the internet, you are certainly aware of the health supplement everybody is talking about, the acia berry. You have probably heard about all the good things the acai berry supposedly does. Today, I want to talk about not only the health benefits but discuss any potential acai berry side effects.

I am going to start with some of the benefits then move onto the potential side effects of this highly publicized supplement.  I will close with some helpful information if you decide to try out this popular health supplement.

Acai berries are extremely high in antioxidants. You have probably heard that antioxidants are good for you, but may not know exactly why. The video on the right does a good job of explaining how antioxidants are beneficial.  It is a clip from Good Eats and does a fantastic job of describing what free radicals are and how an antioxidant neutralizes them.

Inside your body, free radicals cause damage at a cellular level by stealing electrons from normal, healthy cells. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Unfortunately, the antioxidant is also neutralized so you need to keep supplying your body with antioxidants because there won't be a shortage of free radicals wreaking havoc on your body. The acai berry is the best source of antioxidants of any practical food or food supplement. Check out ORACvalues.com if you want to know more about how much antioxidants are in particular foods.

Acai berries also have omega fatty acids and dietary fiber. Both of these have been shown to have positive effects on health including regulating the digestive system and potential weight loss.

When you consider these benefits, it is easy to see why acai berries are becoming extremely popular as a health food supplement. If you choose to try them, you can get acai berry drinks, capsules, and even powder that can be added to smoothies, yogurt, or used in healthy recipes.

As with any health food supplement, you should ask if there are any acai berry side effects.  The good news is that there really aren't any.  There are reported cases of loss of appetite, but this has not been confirmed by any studies that I know of.  As with any new food or supplement, you should start slowly and pay attention to your body because there is always a chance you are allergic to it.  I found an article on WebMD which verified this information that you can check out if you want.

The biggest thing you need to consider when trying acai berry supplements is the potential side effects of other ingredients.  Supplements come in a pure form with only the berry in them or they come mixed with other, usually all natural, ingredients like hoodia or green tea to make them a diet pill in addition to being a great general health supplement.  Either way, make sure you start slowly and pay attention for any potential side effects.  Most likely there won't be any, but better safe than sorry.

To close, I want to borrow a couple quotes from the WebMD article I referenced above.  The first one sums up the benefits and the second one attests to potential acai berry side effects.

For now, plenty of research supports eating a diet rich in antioxidants. There’s no doubt that berries and other fruits are a key part of any healthy diet promoting weight loss. The jury’s still out on whether there is something special about acai’s ability to shed excess pounds.

If you have pollen allergies or have a known hypersensitivity to acai or similar berries, you may want to avoid this fruit. When eaten in moderate amounts, though, acai is likely safe.

My personal research and experience indicates that acai berries are a good health food supplement.  However, I am only sharing information and cannot replace the advice of your doctor or other trained professional.  Please make sure you consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or supplement routine to make sure that everything is ok.

I am not a doctor and have not had any medical training.  I am not making any health or medical recommendations.  You need to contact your doctor for any health or medical advice.  Also, I do operate other websites including some of those linked to in this article.  If you click on a link on those sites, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.