Acai Berry Pills and Weight Loss - The Myths, Cons and the Truth

The Internet, TV and magazines are constantly flooded with ads and features on the so-called "superfood" herbal supplement, acai berries. But there are so many myths and misinformation about acai berry and juice pills that it is important to distinguish myths from truth.

Here are some facts you may not know:

What are acai berries?

Simply put, they are deep purple fruits like Acai Palm, an oil species from Central and South America. They are full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids and chemicals called Anthocyanin. It is also a chemical in red wine, one of the reasons health experts recommend drinking red wine.

The health benefits of these berries have led to a recent explosion in the marketing of acai-based supplements in the form of pills, capsules, tablets, juices, smoothies, yogurt and instant beverage powder.

Health benefits of acai berries

This fruit is known to have several health qualities, including:

1. High antioxidant concentration to help fight premature aging. It is said to have 10 times the antioxidants that have red wine, and 30 times the red wine anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are believed to help fight cancer, diabetes, and bacterial infections.

2. A type of amino acids and trace minerals that combine to help promote muscle health.

3. Body-detoxification, pH balance and improve energy quality.

4. Many non-monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols are combined to aid cardiovascular health and digestion.

Acai berry scams

Unfortunately, the hype around this "superfood" has led to many scams - all in the name of making quick money. Here are the most common:

1. Claims of health benefits: Despite the undeniable health potential of its origin, manufacturers continue to make some baseless claims about the benefits of acai berry products including false claims of diabetes reversal and other chronic diseases as well as increased sexual resilience.

In addition, the various products sold in the market vary in the concentration of active ingredients and the presence of (sometimes) a long list of other ingredients, so the effectiveness of many of these products is often questioned.

2. Free Acai Berry Pills: Some websites have appeared on the Internet offering free trial of Acai berry supplements for a small charge to cover shipping and handling.

This sounds like a great idea, but read the small print! You may not realize it, but in fact you may sign up to continue receiving the product - at full price - on a regular basis. Many people have had difficulty canceling their credit card payments and have incurred hundreds of dollars in costs.

3. Acai Berry Pyramid Scheme: While there are legitimate MLM schemes involving acai-based products, there are some that have become popular while selling very expensive products and needing new recruits to invest a lot of upfront money into the program - creating huge profits for them at the top of the pyramid. .

4. Celebrity support: Common scams in marketing acai berry products are "celebrity support claims, often involving Oprah, Dr Oz and superstars like Britney Spears. Many of these claims are false and Oprah Winfrey's company has filed a lawsuit against a supplier of acai supplements in an bid to end cunning practices. Here.

Weight loss Acai

Despite the unhealthy health benefits of acai berries and the usefulness of some products made using these fruits, there is a specific fraud perpetrated on desperate and vulnerable people who make millions of dollars for manufacturers - and that's weight fraud.

There are many shelves full of expensive acai based products that are marketed as weight loss supplements. While high fiber composition can help reduce appetite, the real fact is that - as of July 2010 - there is no scientific evidence to prove that use of this product will affect weight or promote weight loss.

------------------