Acai and High Cholesterol—New Study

HEALTH NEWS

The pulp of acai berries may counter the effects of a high-fat diet and reduce the risk of developing high blood cholesterol levels, a new study from Brazil says.

Animals fed a high-fat diet and supplemented with acai pulp had lower levels of total and non-HDL cholesterol, compared to animals just eating a high-fat diet, according to findings published in the journal Nutrition.

"This is the first study, to our knowledge, addressing the potential benefits of acai intake in the cholesterol profile," wrote the researchers, led by Maria Lucia Pedrosa from the Federal University of Ouro Preto.

"We observed that the addition of acai pulp in the hypercholesterolemic diet had a hypocholesterolemic effect by reducing cholesterol levels (total and non-HDL), which could be explained by a lower food intake and higher fecal excretion," they added.

Acai berries have long formed part of the staple diet of Indian tribes in Central and South America. With the appearance of a purple grape and taste of a tropical berry, they have been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties thanks to a high level of anthocyanins, pigments that are also present in red wine.

Pedrosa and her co-workers used female Fischer rats and divided them into four groups: Two groups consumed a standard diet, and two groups consumed a high-fat diet containing 25% soy oil and one percent cholesterol. One standard diet group and one high fat diet group received additional acai pulp at a level of two percent.

After six weeks, the researchers noted an increase in blood levels of total and non-HDL cholesterol and a decrease in levels of HDL cholesterol in the high-fat-diet-only animals. Such changes were attenuated in the acai-supplemented high-fat diet animals.

The researchers did not directly examine the mechanism behind the effects but noted that the benefits may not be solely due to the polyphenol content of the fruit.

"These results suggest that the consumption of acai improves antioxidant status and has a hypocholesterolemic effect in an animal model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia," the researchers concluded.

Source: Nutrition, January 2010