Colon Cleansing and Acai

Question: I've been hearing about the acai berry and colon cleanse... and now both of them together... secondhand stuff from Dr. Oz. What are your thoughts? It's supposed to be used for appetite suppression and weight loss. Is this stuff safe, and effective, or an unsafe gimmick?
kim

Answer: Kim, thanks for the question! Acai is the new buzz-word, due in part I'm sure to Dr. Oz and Oprah calling attention to acai. In fact, I had a similar question in regards to acai back in December. I will post the question/answer again below. However, I did not discuss colon cleansing in my response, so I will answer that here. To answer your question in one sentence, I would say that acai is safe and effective (in terms of it's antioxidant properties) but colon cleansing in general, with or without the use of acai, in my opinion is an unnecessary and unsafe practice. Why is it unnecessary? Because your colon eliminates waste material and bacteria just fine on its own. Why is it unsafe? Because it can disrupt your body's fluid and electrolyte balance. Long-term and excessive cleansing in particular may lead to malnutrition, anemia and even heart disease. For more information on the acai berry, see below.....

Hope this helps!




Question: I know Acai Juice is a new flavor trend, but I'm now seeing it marketed as a health food and for weight loss. So, I'm wondering.... is it just a trend or does it have real benefits?

Answer: Both. Yes, acai, often used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas and other beverages, is definitely trendy. However, it has also been dubbed a "superfood" because of it's antioxidant and flavonoid properties. Antioxidants may help prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress such as heart disease and cancer. However, while it has been proven that acai contains antioxidant properties and has been named as a superfood (a food that confers a health benefit), it's important to note that LOTS of foods (such as concord grapes and grape juice, pomegranates, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and others) also contain antioxidants, so this does not make acai unique. Furthermore, according to an article published earlier this year (Feb. 2008 J Agric Food Chem), it was found that that acai juice may in fact have less antioxidants than concord grapes or pomegranates. Admittedly, it can be challenging making the comparison since acai comes in many different forms (juice mixes, freeze-dried powder, etc.) Furthermore, while it has been dubbed a "superfood," there isn't a legal definition of the word "superfood" so it may be abused as a marketing tool. Bottom line: Acai DOES have health benefits, but so far it has not been shown that these health benefits are any different or greater than that of similar berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries).