Acai Berry Scam Exposed: We Called It!

[HuckleB]

http://scienceblogs.com/obesitypanacea/2010/05/acai_berry_scam_exposed_we_cal.php

"...

This past Monday, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a consumer warning, urging consumers to not fall prey to the viral ads of countless acai berry based products for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, cancers, and other ailments. In the warning, the following is stated:

"There's no evidence whatsoever to suggest that açai pills will help shed pounds, flatten tummies, cleanse colons, enhance sexual desire, or perform any of the other commonly advertised functions."

In a more light-hearted tone, David Schardt, the CSPI senior nutritionist said: "If Bernard Madoff were in the food business, he'd be offering 'free' trials of açai-based weight-loss products."

Aside from the lack of evidence backing any of the acai berry product claims are sketchy business practices of most of the companies peddling the products.

..."


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I'm not a fan of the celebratory tone of the bloggers, but it's hard to blame them, too.

[rurallib]

1. K&R this needs some exposure.

[Warpy]

2. K&R

to counter the unrecs by true believers.

You can change somebody's opinion, but if you try to change a belief, you're in for serious trouble.

[nashville_brook]

3. who actually believes that?

[HuckleB]

7. Desperate people.

:shrug:

[TlalocW]

4. Are there any benefits to the berries?

Or is it just the crazy flatten-your-stomach-while-you-increase-your-penis-size claims that have been disproven?

TlalocW

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. My doctor's brother is taking goji and acai berries.... he claims he

has reduced his insulin needs by two thirds.

[HuckleB]

9. Sure. They are berries, but they don't appear to be anything special.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2959

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

6. The acai berry claim may or may not be rubbish

I just hate, though, that, whenever there's an attempt to improve the quality of life, BigPharma always seems to be able to refute the claim. That is, unless, they are Rx pills.

[HuckleB]

8. How did "BIG PHARMA" refute the claim?

:eyes:

And shouldn't those who make such claims have validated in the first place? This is why regulation of supplements is needed.

[progressoid]

10. I stick with tried and true products like...

[unc70]

12. Maybe they need the new and improved Super C. B.

If they are really full of it.

[Dorian Gray]

11. I think that

Monavie is a relatively well known pyramid scheme based upon the juice. Their website:

http://www.monavie.com/Web/US/en/index.dhtml?r=1


and outside information about them:

http://www.juicescam.com/


I tend to agree the juice is not a cure all. There may be some health benefits... maybe... but it's certainly not worth the high price when you can buy blueberry juice, pomegranate juice, cherry juice or cranberry juice quite easily and for a lot cheaper.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HuckleB]

15. Thanks for yet another of the usual red herrings offered to justify yet another scam!

Woo hoo!

Exactly what does "BIG PHARMA" have to do with this?

(BTW: Try reading the OP and the link before responding.)

[Orrex]

18. HuckleB is not a shill for Big Pharma

At least, he's never at any of the meetings, where we hand out big sacks of $50s and $100s to each other for our tireless shilling efforts.

[HuckleB]

20. No wonder I'm always broke.

[dodger501]

14. Acai is not a weight loss product

It is an antioxidant, more of an anti-aging thing.
I take this and other stuff, this is a reputable supplement company:

http://www.getprograde.com/anti-aging-care.html

This fruit has been featured on the Today show, Oprah, New York Times and everywhere else. D. Perricone named the Acai berry as the #1 Superfood in the world. For many they are calling it the miracle berry. Then all the scam artists came out and started taking advantage of all this hype and selling acai berry for weight loss when the research and science doesn’t support this claim.

Acai berry is one of the healthiest foods on the planet, but don’t assume it is a cure for everything that ails you.

[HuckleB]

16. Some more on acai...

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2959

Note:

"Analysis of the fruit does show it has vitamin C and a variety of antioxidants, so it is not bad for you. But there are more palatable alternatives:

"PJ (pomegranate juice) had the greatest antioxidant potency composite index among the beverages tested and was at least 20% greater than any of the other beverages tested. Antioxidant potency, ability to inhibit LDL oxidation, and total polyphenol content were consistent in classifying the antioxidant capacity of the polyphenol-rich beverages in the following order: PJ>red wine>Concord grape juice>blueberry juice>black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice>orange juice, iced tea beverages, apple juice. Although in vitro antioxidant potency does not prove in vivo biological activity, there is also consistent clinical evidence of antioxidant potency for the most potent beverages including both PJ and red wine."

Is there anything special from acai? I am uncertain and unenthusiastic. It is safe to say, if you have ever had a Bordeaux, that the Connecticut Attorney General was only partly wrong, that magic berries can be found in France. There is nothing special about acai except the hype."

[dodger501]

17. I heard you had to drink umpteen barrels of red wine a day to have an effect

From the same article, either this guy is lying or . . .

Acai can be freeze dried and turned into a stable powder which has all the health benefits of the fresh Acai berry. Acai berry has 10 times the antioxidant level of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Acai has 10 to 30 times the Anthocyanins of red wine

Your cite refers to drinks, though.

[HuckleB]

19. We all hear lots of things.

Until I see a peer-reviewed study that supports the claim you quote, it appears that acai is healthy, but one can save a lot of money buy eating other fruits.