Acai Berry Science:
Does It Work For Weight Loss?

Why are there no studies using acai berries for weight loss?

To answer this you have to look at how and why scientific studies are done in the first place.

Before you undertake a scientific study, with all the difficulties, the expense, the time and effort, you first choose something that you think might have a chance of success. You have to ask, "Could it work?"

Otherwise you would be spending your time and money and effort for nothing.

Will it work for weight loss?

So before you did expensive testing on a new weight loss product you would ask yourself these questions: First, what are the factors that are known to cause weight loss and weight gain?

Second, what are the properties of this new product?

Third, by comparing these two things -- the factors that cause weight loss and weight gain compared to the properties of this new product -- is there reason to think the product might actually work?

This is where scientists start -- with a hypothesis. In this case the hypothesis would be, "Acai berries help promote weight loss."

Factors that cause weight loss and weight gain

So what causes weight gain and weight loss? What causes someone to be lean and healthy, with a proper amount of body fat? What makes the body efficient at burning calories and fat? And what makes the body efficient at storing fat?

Storing of fat has to do with a number of factors. Excess calories in the diet. Lack of lean body tissue. Appetite stimulating hormones. Enzymes that promote fat storage.

Breaking down fat and burning calories has to do with the amount of lean body mass you have. With the amount of stimulation you provide your body through exercise.

It includes proper sleep and adequate vitamins, minerals, water and sunlight to ensure that your nervous system works right. So you have a high metabolic rate.

Properties of acai berries

There has been a fair amount of research done on acai berries -- not weight loss studies, but other testing. What does the acai berry science show?

Research has shown that the berries are high in certain chemicals. Scientists call these chemicals that are produced by plants "phytochemicals" -- from the Greek word "phyto" meaning plant.

Now, it's easy to get lost in all the fancy words that go with these chemicals. So we'll keep it simple. These phytochemicals are mostly pigments, and they give the fruit its color.

The primary pigments are anthocyanins -- from the Greek "antho" meaning flower and "cyanin" meaning blue. Anthocyanins give color to blue, purple and red plants. Acai berries are rich in anthocyanins and related chemicals.

(J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Nov 1;54(22):8598-603. Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai).)

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