Natrol makes several acai berry products, including supplement pills containing pure acai berry extract or mixtures of acai berry and other substances such as green tea. Advertisers claim that the acai berry fights aging and cancer and promotes weight loss and libido. University researchers have begun to conduct legitimate studies on the berry's health effects, so you can keep yourself informed as to its true health benefits.
Antioxidants
Natrol acai berry products contain a high amount of antioxidant molecules. Antioxidants neutralize oxygen free radicals that can damage your cells, promote aging, depress the immune system and cause cancer, according to Vanderbilt University. Your body produces free radicals as it uses oxygen during normal metabolic processes, and they can be produced in great quantities during exercise. One Vanderbilt study showed that people who drank acai berry juice had higher antioxidant levels in their blood plasma than people who ate applesauce or drank a juice that did not contain antioxidants. This research, coupled with the known benefits of antioxidants, supports the idea that Natrol acai berry products help your cells and immune system stay strong, fighting off aging and cancer to some degree.
Weight Loss
Some Natrol acai berry products are marketed as weight loss pills. Very little evidence exists that shows that acai berry products promote weight loss. One study reported by Vanderbilt University demonstrated that consumption of acai berry products can reduce the amount of salivary a-amylase that you produce. Salivary a-amylase is a digestive enzyme that helps start the process of digesting foods. Theoretically, if a you digest less of your food because you have less salivary a-amylase, you should absorb fewer calories from it and thus lose weight. However, researchers have not demonstrated a definitive link between acai berry-mediated salivary amylase-a inhibition and weight loss.
Cancer
A University of Florida study has shown that acai berry extracts can shut down leukemia cells. While these results indicate that the acai berry might help you fight off cancer, they may also be a little misleading. The extract was tested on leukemia cells under laboratory conditions. The activity of leukemia cells and their vulnerability to acai berry extract while they are in the their natural environment--the human body--can vary considerably. Also, acai berry extracts do not necessarily survive the human digestive system and liver detoxification process in their initial chemical form, so the extracts consumed as supplements might not come into direct contact with leukemia cells in the the body. But since the extracts were effective against leukemia cells in the lab, you might choose to consume them as a cancer prevention or cure measure, in consultation with your doctor.
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