Over the last couple of months I have been receiving emails promoting  Acai Berries as a superfood capable of slowing down the aging process, helping with weight loss and providing energy.  If all this were to be believed then the Acai Berry would surely be more of a miracle food than a superfood.  Just think, a simple fruit that can make you look younger, be thinner and give you lots of energy.

So what are Acai Berries?  Well……. they are berries.  Admittedly they come all the way from the Amazonian rain forest but they are berries non the less.  This berry is the fruit of the Acai Palm  and it has been harvested by the Amazonian Indians for hundreds of years.  You will no doubt have heard that Amazonian Indians are slim, youthful in appearance and have boundless energy!!!

So what are the health benefits?  Dr. David Bender who writes for the Healthwatch publication looked  at  papers published up to August 2008 to see if any of the claims have been substantiated by scientific research.  He concluded that there was no mention in any paper of any possible or likely weight reducing action associated with the berries. The berries are in fact high in Vitamin C but we are not in general deficient in this vitamin so there is no need to eat Acai berries in particular to fulfill our daily requirements.  Most nutritionists would agree that there is no magic pill for weight loss with exercise and a balanced diet being the time tested method of choice.

Acai berries just like all berries do not store or travel well. They are usually exported as dried products or in juice with other fruits.  In the developed world there is a market for exotic fruit and the current trend for Acai berries has at least given local farmers the opportunity to earn some money.  So there is no reason at all not to eat and enjoy the fruit.  It will just not make you thin.

However a more sinister problem has developed.  There are some unscrupulous companies advertising free trials Acai Berries on line.  The catch of course is that you must provide credit card details for postage and packaging.  If you do not cancel your subscription within a very short period of time you will be charged for further deliveries.  There are even reports of people being charged who have cancelled their subscriptions within the stated time period.  The scam is world wide with complaints from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and the UK.

Whether it is exaggerated health claims or supposed free trials the old rule of thumb still applies.  If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is!!