by Amber-Marie Richardson

Created on: May 14, 2010

Renowned for their antioxidant properties and benefits in promoting weight loss, acai berries have become very popular as a dietary supplement in recent years. However, while much of the scientific research that has been carried out on acai berries suggests that acai berries may have many advantages for those wanting to lose weight, what are the disadvantages of using acai berries as a means to lose weight?

About acai berries

Acai berries originate from the Amazon rainforest and have a long history of being eaten by the local peoples as part of a healthy diet. Containing high amounts of flavonoids and anthocyanins, acai berries are eaten primarily for their antioxidant benefits. While others fruits such as blueberries also contain high levels of antioxidants, the level of antioxidants found in acai berries has been proven to be much higher than those levels found in other fruits.

For dieters acai berries are thought to promote healthier digestion which enhances metabolism. Acai berries are also believed to act as an appetite suppressant which helps dieters to reduce the amount of food they consume. As well as providing benefits to dieters, acai berries are also advocated as providing numerous other health benefits like, boosting the natural immune system, and providing a natural defence against the signs of ageing.

Disadvantages of acai berries

In terms of losing weight the main disadvantage with acai berries is that, it has not been scientifically proven whether acai berries do actually help people lose weight. While much of the evidence does suggest acai berries might be beneficial as a means of aiding weight loss, there are still no clear facts to support these claims. Also, as acai berries are largely being eaten to aid quick and easy weight loss, the use of acai berries does not always promote long term changes in eating patterns that is required for permanent weight loss.

Due to the fact that acai berries have so many positive effects, many dietary supplements and pills with extracts of acai berry are now being produced. The problem with some of these supplements is that they also include many other ingredients which may have negative effects on your health. Senna leaf is an ingredient which can be found in some acai supplements, and this can cause laxative effects if used too frequently. Another ingredient which is sometimes included in acai supplements is caffeine, and this can lead to problems involving supplement addiction.

As acai berries are an appetite suppressant another disadvantage is that eating too many could lead to a loss of appetite. This is particularly negative if you are incorporating acai berries into your diet for other purposes than losing weight.

Overall, if you do decide to incorporate acai berries into your diet in order to lose weight, then you should always try to locate fresh or dried acai berries rather than relying on dietary supplements. For more effective weight loss it is also suggested that you combine acai berries into a calorie restricted diet rather than trying to soley rely on acai berries or acai supplements as the only means of losing weight.

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