Acai Berry: A Help in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome?
Published:May 23rd, 2011
Are you having problems losing weight? Have you tried using one commercial diet regimen after another without obvious results?
Acai berry may be the solution for the management of metabolic syndrome, suggests a recent study published by the Nutrition Journal in May 2011.Acai berry weight loss products have been notoriously associated with scams and spams. However, with the release of this study, acai berry believers now have a reason to say, “I told you so!”
Metabolic syndrome is not merely a weight problem that puts too much fats around your waistline. It is a condition that may increase your risk for cardiovascular problems, hypertension, high cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes.
The acai berry palm tree, scientific name Euterpe oleracea, naturally grows in South America. It produces a sweet black-purple fruit that resembles much like a blackberry. Recently, the scientific community became alive because of its antioxidant properties. However, previous studies only involved results in the controlled environment of test tubes and in animals.
In this said study, ten overweight adults were asked to take a 100mg capsule of acai pulp two times per day for a period of one month. After the end of the observation period, their fasting plasma sugar levels were measured and analyzed together with their insulin, blood cholesterol, triglyceride, exhaled nitric oxide metabolites, and C-reactive protein.
The researchers noted a significant decrease in the oxygen specie activity involved in the development of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, compared to baseline results, the fasting blood sugar and the insulin levels had a significant drop in their results after the thirty-day treatment. Total blood cholesterol also reduced. However, no improvement in the blood pressure reading, C-reactive protein and exhaled nitric oxide metabolites were noted.
With this preliminary clinical investigation, there is a strong reason to aim for further studies of acai berry and its products for the management of metabolic syndrome in overweight individuals.
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