THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (02/05/06)

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THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (02/05/06)

 

 

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Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. Weekly CancerDecisions.com

Newsletter #222 02/05/06

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THE MOSS REPORTS – CANCER DECISIONS NEWSLETTER

 

 

Last week I began an examination of the new fruit juice sensation,

açai. I conclude the discussion this week.

 

To read this week's newsletter, please click or go to:

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/020506.html

 

 

--Ralph W. Moss, PhD

 

A FRIENDLY SKEPTIC LOOKS AT AÇAI, PART TWO

 

 

Last week I began an examination of the new fruit juice sensation,

açai. I conclude the discussion this week. References to the two-part

series can be found at the end of this week's article.

 

Scientific Basis

 

 

Is there any scientific backing for the health claims made for açai

products?

 

Here are some basic facts. The nutritional content of açai is 1-4

percent protein, 7-11 percent fats, 25 percent sugar, 0.05 percent

calcium, 0.033 percent phosphorous, and 0.0009 percent iron. Açai also

has small amounts of sulphur, vitamin B1 and E and beta carotene. It

delivers 88 to 265 calories per 100 grams, depending on the source and

preparation method.

 

A PubMed search for Euterpe oleracea reveals half a dozen relevant

articles, but none clinical in nature. In fact, none has anything to

say about its alleged health-promoting properties, except in the most

general terms. Yes, it has antioxidants and antioxidants are good for

you. But it is a far stretch to claim that this juice or its

constituents will cure any disease.

 

Simply put, I can discover no scientific basis whatsoever for making

medical or health promoting claims for açai. Nor is its traditional

usage of much help. In the Brazilian Amazon, hungry Indian forest

tribes use every part of the tree. They eat the tasty heart of palm,

turn the fruit into a drink, eat the leaves as a kind of cabbage, and

finally use the fronds to thatch their houses. Excess fruit is

sometimes taken to town as a cash crop. Açai juice is understandably

popular among the poor, for the obvious reason that it is abundant and

free for the taking.

 

There is talk on the Web of some broad folk medicine usages. " In

traditional Brazilian herbal medicine, " says Leslie Taylor, ND,

writing at www.rain-tree.com, " the oil of the fruit is used to treat

diarrhea; an infusion of the root is used for jaundice and to build

the blood; an infusion of the grated fruit rind is used as a topical

wash for skin ulcers; and, the fruit seeds are crushed and prepared in

an infusion for fevers. "

 

" In the Peruvian Amazon, " Taylor continues, " an infusion of the

toasted crushed seeds is used for fever, and a decoction of the root

is used for malaria, diabetes, hepatitis and jaundice, hair loss,

hemorrhages, liver and kidney diseases, menstrual pain, and muscle pain. "

 

That's quite a line-up. But bear in mind that this is just by

reputation, not by systematic study. Such traditional usage is not a

guide to current-day practice but merely a pointer towards what one

might find upon truly scientific examination.

 

Meanwhile, the fruit liquid " is not really that nutritious in

comparison to many other fruit juices, " according to Dr. Taylor. The

dark purple color of the fruit is due to the presence of certain

polyphenols. Since the mature fruit is dark purple or black in color

it comes as no surprise that one of the main chemical constituents is

anthocyanin, a type of flavonoid that is widely distributed in plants

and also lends a red to purple color to grapes, blackberries, and

raspberries. According to a German study, anthocyanin contributes only

about 10 percent of the antioxidants in the juice, so " obviously,

compounds not yet identified are responsible for the major part of the

antioxidant capacities of the acai fruit pulp " (Lichtenthaler 2005).

 

According to Dr. Taylor, " the anthocyanin in açai is highly unstable

and degrades easily in the presence of heat, humidity, as well as in

the presence of enzyme actions of other chemicals in the fruit. This

makes açai fruit highly perishable; it readily changes in color,

taste, and anthocyanin content with even short term (12 hours)

refrigerated storage. " So even to get this rather generic benefit the

product would have to be handled with exemplary care. This fact is not

mentioned in the publicity material I have seen for the juice.

 

Furthermore, the antioxidants in açai are not necessarily as potent as

has been claimed. One of the few scientific studies on the topic found

that " the antioxidant capacities of all purple açai samples were found

to be excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite

and poor against hydroxyl radicals compared with common European fruit

and vegetable juices recently analyzed " (Lichtenthaler 2005).

 

As indicated, açai has not been the subject of any studies to

determine its biological activity, according to Dr. Taylor, since

(despite the general folk usages) it isn't traditionally used for any

specific type of medical condition, such as cancer.

 

There are a few laboratory studies concerning açai and cancer in the

literature. One study reports that phenolic and anthocyanin compounds

from this fruit have the ability to retard the growth of cancer cells

in the test tube (in vitro). But Dr. Taylor points out, " As all the

chemicals extracted from açai for this study were well known chemicals

(no novel chemicals found yet in açai) found in other common fruits

and plants and which had similar in vitro cancer cell studies

performed, this was not anything profound or new. "

 

Last month, a team at the University of Florida showed that extracts

from açai berries triggered a self-destruct response (apoptosis) in up

to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, according to Stephen Talcott,

an assistant professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural

Sciences (Nordlie 2006). The team is also conducting a study to test

the effect of açai in healthy human volunteers.

 

But Prof. Talcott cautioned: " This was only a cell-culture model and

we don't want to give anyone false hope. " In fact, many fruit juices

contain antioxidants and other phytonutrients, which have promise in

the prevention of diseases including cancer. At the same time, they

also contain lots of sugar, natural or added, and this could be a

problem for those who are prone to type II diabetes, weight gain, and

some other health conditions. Thus fruit juice (even when not

sweetened) should be used in moderation. Despite the raw ORAC score,

the quality of the antioxidants in açai seems somewhat more limited

than those in other products.

 

I was quite satisfied with my $2 bottle of açai juice from Bossa Nova

and will probably buy it again some day. But I see absolutely no

reason, in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, to shell out $39

or more for a bottle of açai juice when one can get plenty of

antioxidants from grapes, berries or pomegranates at a fraction of

that cost.

 

It should go without saying that you should not rely on this juice to

treat cancer or any serious medical condition. One or two laboratory

tests do not constitute proof of clinical benefit. In fact, any

suggestion that açai juice can cure any serious disease is entirely

without foundation and is probably the prelude to a rip-off.

 

 

 

Signature

--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

 

References:

 

 

Del Pozo-Insfran D, Brenes CH, Talcott ST. Phytochemical composition

and pigment stability of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). J Agric Food

Chem. 2004;52:1539-1545.

 

Cordova-Fraga T, de Araujo DB, Sanchez TA, et al. Euterpe Oleracea

(Acai) as an alternative oral contrast agent in MRI of the

gastrointestinal system: preliminary results. Magn Reson Imaging.

2004;22:389-393.

 

Hassimotto NM, Genovese MI, Lajolo FM. Antioxidant activity of dietary

fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen fruit pulps. J Agric Food

Chem. 2005;53:2928-2935.

 

Lichtenthaler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius

H, Marx F. Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea

Mart. (Acai) fruits. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005;56:53-64.

 

Nordlie, Tom. Brazilian berry destroys cancer cells in lab, UF study

shows. University of Florida News, January 12, 2006. Available at:

http://news.ufl.edu/2006/01/12/berries/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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