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Solgar Acai Extract
Softgels
As a food supplement for
adults, two (2) Solgar Acai Extract softgels daily, preferably at
mealtimes, or as directed by a healthcare practitioner. Do not
exceed directions for use.
If you are pregnant,
nursing, taking any medication or have a medical condition, please
consult your healthcare practitioner before taking this product.
Two (2) softgels provide: Acaí Extract (Euterpe oleracea)
(fruit) 50 mg (20:1 extract equivalent to 1000 mg of raw berry
powder)
Encapsulated with these natural ingredients: Soybean Oil,Yellow
Beeswax, Caramel, Soy Lecithin, silicon dioxide Softgel Capsule
Shell: Gelatin, Vegetable Glycerin
Solgar's Acai Extract
Soft gels are free of yeast, wheat, gluten and dairy products and
are formulated without the use of artificial preservatives or
flavours.
Acai
(pronounced ah-sigh-ee)
The antioxidant superfruit!
New research discovered the powerful benefits of another fruit that
grows wild in the Brazilian Rainforest. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee)
is an antioxidant rich dark purple berry which has been used by the
indigenous people of Brazil for years. In fact, these Acai berries
have been called nature’s most nutritious food. Only recently this
special fruit has become available for the rest of the world too!
Acai Berry: In Brazilian
herbal medicine, the oil of the Acai fruit is used to treat
diarrhoea; an infusion of the grated fruit rind is used as a topical
wash for skin ulcers and the fruit seeds are crushed and prepared in
an infusion for fevers. In the Peruvian Amazon, an infusion of the
toasted crushed seeds is used for fever. In Colombia, where the
trees grow along the Pacific coast line, it is called naidí and the
fruit is turned into a common and popular drink.
Acai Juice: Easily the most
popular use of the Acai fruit by peoples inhabiting the
Amazon Basin is the dark purple juice. The juice is extracted from
the small round fruit by soaking the seeds in water to soften the
thin outer shell and then squeezing and straining them to produce a
very tasty, dense purple liquid. Acai liquid is served fresh
and ice cold.
Acai Health Benefits: What is known about the Acai berry
fruit health benefits, backed by scientific research into the fruits
properties, is quite substantial. Acai is a rich source of
anthocyanins and other phenolics and phyto-nutrients. Acai
berries are amongst the most nutritious foods of the Amazon, rich in
B vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Acai also contain oleic acid (omega-9), a beneficial fatty acid
also found in olive oil.
Minerals found in Acai Berry:
Potassium is the mineral most abundant in the Acai, but it is
also rich in copper, and unusually high in manganese.
Acai Phytonutrients:
Anthocyanins are compounds that have potent antioxidant activity.
The famous research regarding the "French Paradox" attributes
anthocyanins as being the antioxidant that protects the French from
heart disease. The French are known to consume large amounts of
coffee, nicotine, sugar, white flour and cheese and yet they have a
very low rate of heart disease compared to neighbouring countries
like the UK and Denmark. The red wine grape, due to its anthocyanins
is what is believed to be responsible for the very low incidence of
heart disease. While red wine has good quantities of anthocyanins,
the Acai berry has been shown to contain up to 30 times the
anthocyanins levels of red wine.
By neutralising these free
radicals, anthocyanins from the Acai berry may actually serve
to maintain the healthy function of numerous systems and organs.
Some of the anthocyanins that have been found in Acai include
cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside-coumarate. Other
phenolics include catechin and epi-catechin (the same compounds in
green tea), quercetin derivatives and other flavonoids. It is likely
that the synergistic effects of these compounds, as present in
Acai fruit are responsible for its potent antioxidant
activities.
ORAC Scale: The Oxygen
Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) assay
measures the total antioxidant activity of a biological sample. It’s
a test developed for the USDA by scientists at Tufts University to
measure the antioxidant speed and power of foods and supplements.
The ORAC scale is used in human, agricultural, food and
pharmaceutical products, as well as food ingredients and is quickly
becoming the accepted standard for comparing antioxidant potential
in foods and supplements.
Acai Antioxidant Benefits:
For the average person to cope with all the reactive oxygen species
they will encounter, foods and beverages totalling an ORAC value of
about 1,670 per day are needed. It’s been estimated that 80-90
percent of the world’s population fails to consume even half of this
level. At 3,800 ORAC value per gram, Acai is reputed to be
extremely high on the ORAC scale and provides levels multiple times
that of other anthocyanin-rich fruits and vegetables, such as
cherries, cranberries and mulberries.
Ageing Population: As the population ages, 80% of older
people in Western countries will develop at least one chronic
metabolic disease. If the USDA says that high-ORAC foods may slow
ageing and prevent metabolic disease from occurring, it's very wise
to increase the amount of high ORAC foods in the diet to prevent
this process from occurring in the first place.
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