Acai Berries Destroy Cancer Cells

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Brazilian berry popular in health food bears antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells in a recent University of FL study, one of the 1st to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits.

Printed today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the report presented extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries set off a self-destroy reaction in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“Acai berries are already regarded one of the most abundant fruit sources of antioxidants,” Talcott said. “This study was an crucial step towards discovering what people could gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”

He cautioned that the study, funded by UF sources, was not meant to indicate whether compounds found in acai berries could prevent leukemia in people.

“This was simply a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anybody false hope,” Talcott said. “We’re pleased by the findings, nonetheless. Compounds that indicate good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.”

Additional fruits, including grapes, guavas and mangoes, contain antioxidants shown to kill cancer cells in like studies, he said. Experts are unsure how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as nutrient absorption, metabolic process and the influence of additional biochemical actions might influence the antioxidants’ chemical activity.

Another UF study, slated to conclude in 2006, will look into the effects of acai’s antioxidants on healthy human cases, Talcott said. The study will determine how well the compounds are absorbed into the blood, and how they might impact blood pressure, cholesterol levels and associated health indicators. Thus far, only fundamental research has been executed on acai berries, which contain at the least 50 to 75 as-yet unknown compounds.

“One reason so little is known about acai berries is that they are spoilable and are traditionally used immediately after picking,” he said. “Products made with processed acai berries have only been available since about five years, so researchers in several parts of the world have had little or no chance to analyse them.”

Talcott stated UF is among the first institutions outside Brazil with personnel studying acai berries. Besides Talcott, UF’s acai research team includes Susan Percival, a professor with the food science and human nutrition department, David Del Pozo-Insfran, a doctoral scholar with the department and Susanne Mertens-Talcott, a postdoctoral associate with the pharmaceutics department of UF’s College of Pharmacy.

Acai berries are developed by a palm tree known scientifically as Euterpe oleracea, primary in flood plain regions of the Amazon River, Talcott said. When ripe, the berries are dark purple and approximately the size of a blueberry. They contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a big seed.

Historically, Brazilians have utilized acai berries to treat digestive disorders and skin disease*, he said. Current marketing attempts by retail merchandisers and web businesses indicate acai products can assist consumers slim down, lower cholesterol and gain energy.

“A lot of claims are being formed, but most of them have not been examined scientifically,” Talcott said. “We are merely beginning to understand the complexness of the acai berry and its health-advancing effects.”

In the current UF study, 6 different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit pulp, and each extract was prepared in 7 concentrations.

4 of the extracts were revealed to kill substantial amounts of leukemia cells when implemented for 24 hours. Depending on the extract and concentration, anywhere from approximately 35 percent to 86 percent of the cells died.

The UF study demonstrates that research on foods not generally consumed in the United States is significant, because it could contribute to surprising breakthroughs, said Joshua Bomser, an assistant professor of molecular nutrition and functional foods at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

But familiar produce items have enough of health-giving qualities, he said.

“Increased consumption of fruits and veggies is connected with diminished risk for numerous diseases, including heart disease and cancer,” said Bomser, who researches the effects of diet on chronic diseases. “Acquiring at least 5 portions a day of these items is still a good recommendation for promoting optimum health.”