Short answer, no Acai Berry is not your magic weight loss cure and neither is Mangosteen, Goji, blackcurrant, pomegranate, elderberries, blueberries or any other berry type fruit that has been processed into a super weight loss formula.

So, how did the internet become chocka full of weight loss claims for Acai.  Well it seems to have begun with Dr Mehmet Oz, (Oprah's friend). Dr Oz is a very smart man, and the things he says is pretty well on the money, including what he said about Acai.  Dr Oz explained on the Oprah Show the benefits of the Acai berry; very good source of antioxidants, contains fibre, amino acids and essential fatty acids.  At no point did Dr Oz say that Acai will promote weight loss. There is no scientific evidence proving or even eluding to the claim. In fact, Oprah and Dr Oz have filed suit with a number of companies who have used their names with these types of claims.

Somehow, somewhere, at some point after Acai was talked about something very similar to a game of Chinese whispers would have happened:

Fibre can help with weight loss > Acai has fibre therefore it must help with weight loss

Amino acids help to build and preserve muscle > more muscle increases metabolic rate > increased metabolism helps to burn fat > Acai has amino acids, therefore it must increase metabolic rate and burn fat

Essential fatty acids can assist with weight loss > Acai has EFAs therefore it must assist with weight loss.

I had a quick browse of the internet and found the following 2 claims:

Amazon Acai berry, through its antioxidants and fatty acids, burns the fat of your body in a natural way without leaving any side-effect and helps you realize your dream of gaining good figure without pain.

the Acai Berry has been medically and scientifically proven to contain components that aid weight loss:  {These components were Fibre, amino acids and Omega Fatty Acids}

Its easy to see how these claims can be made and taken out of context based on the physical properties of Acai.

So, lets look closer at the properties of Acai.

Acai is high in antioxidants, in fact it has one of the most powerful antioxidant effects on the planet.  This helps to protect the body from oxidative damage, and produce a healthier, happier body.  A happy body can exercise more effectively. But if your diet & lifestyle is still unhealthy, Acai will only make a small dent.

Acai contains amino acids.  These amino acids will NOT build the amount of muscle required to increase your metabolic rate.You need to lift weights and eat a balanced diet containing protein sources to build muscle, and even then, you would need to build a significant amount to raise your metabolic rate. In fact each 1kg of muscle will burn approximately 10-13 calories per day at rest.  Each kg of heart or kidney tissue will burn a whopping 440 calories per day. To get that 500 calorie deficit relying on muscle increase alone " you would have to build about 50kg of muscle.  Don't get me wrong though, weight training is important for fat loss and body reshaping, but an amino acid alone will NOT do it.

Acai contains fibre.  Fibre keeps us fuller for longer and digestion slower so we reduce the need to overeat.  Fibre also clears the colon of old food, assisting in the absorption of nutrients, thereby assisting your weight loss efforts.  Now tell me, do you think a capsule of Acai is really going to keep you feeling full?

Acai contains Essential fatty acids, specifically Omega 3 assist in weight loss due to their anti-inflammatory effects on the body.  They don't make weight loss happen.  Western diets are very high in Omega 6s and this can cause inflammation in the body.  Inflammation and high levels of bad fats lead to high triglycerides, heart disease and other inflammatory diseases. Omega 3s can assist in balancing these conditions, promoting a better running body primed to sweat it out and lose weight.

So you can see that while this little berry contains all these goodies, the claims that have been made have been skewed to make it sound like the next weight loss miracle cure.

And as for those reports of people who lost 10kgs with this one super berry! Do you know what else they did? I can guarantee they didn't just take a berry pill.

As far as weight loss formulas go, the only one you need to know is this:

Weight loss = healthy food calories in < calories out

Everything else is just supplemental.

Stacey
Jan 2010