A Brazilian berry popular in health food contains antioxidants that
study, one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported
benefits.

Published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry , the study
showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response 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 considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,”
Talcott said. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain
from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”
He cautioned that the study, funded by UF sources, was not intended to show whether
compounds found in acai berries could prevent leukemia in people.
“This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope,”
Talcott said. “We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good
activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects
in our bodies.”
Other fruits, including grapes, guavas and mangoes, contain antioxidants shown to kill
cancer cells in similar studies, he said. Experts are uncertain how much effect
antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as nutrient
absorption, metabolism and the influence of other biochemical processes may influence
the antioxidants’ chemical activity.
Another UF study, slated to conclude in 2006, will investigate the effects of acai’s
antioxidants on healthy human subjects, Talcott said. The study will determine how
well the compounds are absorbed into the blood, and how they may affect blood
pressure, cholesterol levels and related health indicators. So far, only fundamental
research has been done on acai berries, which contain at least 50 to 75 as-yet

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