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Acai Berries grow wild on Palm trees in the Amazon rain forest. Well known to the indigenous people of this region for health benefits, the Acai Berry is now becoming popular around the world as a health super food.

With ten times the antioxidant benefits of grapes Acai has been used for generations in Brazil as a delicious ingredient in many drinks and dishes. Acai has a distinct flavor described as being a combination of Chocolate and Berries. The Berries themselves are not considered good to eat, it is the pulp inside the berry that provides all of the health benefits.

The pulp is extracted and processed for a wide variety of uses. Once separated from the seed and skin the pulp becomes a thick puree that when quick frozen retains all of its nutritional value and then can be shipped around the world.

Along with cooking these uses have traditionally included treatment for:

• stomach ailments;
• skin irritations;
• sexual dysfunction;
• insomnia;
• aches and pains;
• seizures;

Now that Acai is growing in popularity in the US as a health food and alternative medicine much more is being disclosed about the benefits of acai berries and the uses of this super food.

Acai's natural nutrient properties include:

• Omega fats (which are the good kind as opposed to saturated fats);
•  amino acids;
• electrolytes;
•  anthocyanins (a type of antioxidant that is also found n red wine);
•  protein;
•  and vitamins A, B1, and E

Acai is now known for:

• providing all essential vitamins;
• providing several important minerals;
• being a powerful freighter of free radicals;
• cleansing the body of infectious toxins;
• strengthening the immune system;
• fighting cancer;
• slowing the aging process;
• controlling blood sugar;
• controlling cholesterol;
• maintaining a healthy heart function;
• being anti-inflammatory;
•  improving circulation;
• preventing atherosclerosis;
• being an anti-depressant;
• improving vision

Probably the most important benefits of acai berries are its strong heart health benefits. It is known to be a rich source of antioxidants called anthocyanins. These anthocyanins are the same compounds that give red wine its health benefits but acai berries contain much higher concentrations of these healthy chemicals than wine with none of the health risks associated with alcohol. It is the consumption of red wine with its anthocyanins that is thought to be the cause of what is known as the French paradox.

The French eat a high fat diet and are also known as heavy smokers yet have less heart disease than in the US .It is believed that the anthocyanins in the red wine counter the effects of the high fat diet and the heavy smoking.

Anthocyanins have other protective properties that benefit the bodys entire cardiovascular system. Anthocyanins are known to fight enzymes that destroy connective tissue prevent oxidants from damaging connective tissues and repair damaged proteins in the blood-vessel walls.

Anthocyanins effectively protect against LDL oxidation which makes them very powerful in the prevention arteriosclerosis (also known as hardening of the arteries). All of the cardiovascular benefits of acai taken together slow down the aging process in the human body.

Diabetes is another serious disease that anthocyanins protect against by helping to regulate blood sugar and/or protecting against the damage caused by high blood sugar. One very serious diabetic complication is retinopathy, which causes blindness. Anthocyanins protect against this condition by preventing the capillaries in the back of the eye from leaking which in turn prevents abnormal protein build up which is the actually cause the blindness.

Probably the most popular and immediate benefit of acai berries is the energy boost that people get from it. It is now used in many energy bars and drinks and has an affect similar to caffeine providing higher energy and mental alertness. This affect results from the unique combination vitamins found in acai.

For many years acai was hard to find even in health food stores and natural grocery stores. As its reputation as a heath super food has grown modern processing techniques have made acai more readily available. It is now available in a variety of excellent high concentrated fruit drinks that can be purchased over the internet or at health food stores.

The acai berry is indeed a health super food that may become a common part of the American diet.