Antioxidant Comparison Of Acai Vs. Pomegranate

When you see a banana skin going brown or a piece of metal deteriorating to rust, you are witnessing oxidation in action. In humans, oxidation is less obvious. Scientists posit that many age-related diseases, like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are caused by cells that no longer function properly due to oxidation. Antioxidants fight off oxidation within humans, so consuming fruits with high levels of antioxidants, like acai and pomegranate, may help you fight off disease.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice contains high levels of several types of polyphenols, an antioxidant class that fights atherosclerosis, a cause of heart disease. Specific polyphenols found in pomegranate juice include flavonols, tannins, anthocyanins and punicalagin, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reports. Punicalagin accounts for more than 50 percent of the antioxidant activity of pomegranate. Several studies indicate that antioxidants in pomegranate juice inhibit prostate tumor growth and breast cancer-cell proliferation.

Acai

Acai berries, from the South American acai palm tree, contain high levels of the polyphenols anthocyanin, proanthocyanidin, protocatechruic acid, epicatechin and procyanidin, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Studies indicate that acai has both anti-inflammatory and positive cell-death effects, but there are no conclusive studies showing that acai is effective in fighting cancer. The antioxidants in acai fruit or juice may interfere with the effects of some chemotherapy drugs, the cancer center notes.

Considerations

While the studies of antioxidants in pomegranate may seem more promising than those for acai, this may be due to a longer study window for pomegranate. As of 2011, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health lists more than 400 studies on the effects of pomegranate and fewer than 100 studies on the effects of acai. In 2010, testing of oxygen radical absorbance capacity, or ORAC, values, a measurement of the total antioxidant activity of a food, indicated that acai may have 20 times the ORAC score of pomegranate.

Expert Recommendation

Different antioxidants fight off different causes of oxidation, and your body is not able to absorb all antioxidants from all foods at the same rate. To maximize the effects of antioxidants, scientists recommend consuming a wide range of fruits and vegetables to reach your daily ORAC allotment. Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture tables for the oxygen radical absorbance capacity of common foods to help you choose foods with the highest antioxidant rating.