Oct. 6, 2008
Human study: Brazilian acai berry can be absorbed for nutritious benefits
 
INTRO   Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications News and Media Relations 
       A Brazilian palm berry sweeping the globe as a popular health food - though little
research has been done on it    now may have its purported benefits better understood.
     In the first research involving people, the acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry has proven its ability to
be absorbed in the human body when consumed both as juice and pulp, according to scientists
with Texas AgriLife Research.
     That's important because the berry, heavily marketed in the U.S. as a health food,
contains numerous antioxidants. 
     Here's Dr. Susanne Talcott, AgriLife Research nutrition and food scientist.
                         
SUSANNE TALCOTT  
The taste is unique. You find it between chocolate and red wine   like really delicious. But no
one had tested whether it is even bio-available in humans and at which rate. 

PHILLIPS   
     Sales of acai products have increased dramatically in the U.S. where it has been touted as
a metabolism booster, weight reducer and athletic enhancer. Advertisements use all the right
words: health, wellness, energy, taste and organic. 
     Talcott and her co-researcher and husband Dr. Steve Talcott are among the few in the
U.S. looking at the berry scientifically.
      
STEVE TALCOTT 
As far as humans go, yes, it is very high in antioxidants; yes, the more you consume up to a
certain point, the more that will be absorbed and the higher your plasma antioxidant capacity will
be.

PHILLIPS   
The Talcotts said their next study hopefully will help determine the proper dosage for people.
                                             
SUSANNE TALCOTT
One of my concerns is that acai is supposed to be one of the greatest super foods which can be on
the market in the U.S. and sales are exploding. And it definitely is a great antioxidant however I
don't know that it is "the" solution to all disease and suffering. There are many great foods and
vegetables on the market.

PHILLIPS                           
Reporting for Texas AgriLife Research, I'm Kathleen Phillips.
                                                            
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