It is the dream of many people that somewhere in the world, there exists a fruit or vegetable that will cure cancer, help people lose weight and dramatically change health for the better. People search for what have been termed “super foods,” and hope to make such a discovery. One food that has been under investigation for years, sold in a number of forms and billed as a super food for its purported health benefits is the acai, or the acai berry or fruit. Unfortunately it appears acai benefits have been greatly exaggerated or remain difficult to prove.

Some of the typical claims about this South American fruit, which grows on the acai palm tree, are that it has anti-aging properties, may help people lose weight, and could prevent heart disease. Other claims about acai benefits get more inflated and are certainly unproven. The berries are sometimes sold as sexual potency agents, or various products made with acai are sold as stomach flatteners, mental enhancers, cures for arthritis, and a natural way to improve energy.

There are some things that can be said as true about acai berries. They are related in nature to fruits like blueberries and cranberries and possess high levels of what are called antioxidants. In particular acai is touted for its high levels of anthocyanins and flavinoids. Both of these substances are thought to have anti-aging properties and may possibly improve things like cardiac health or delay brain aging. Even though presence of these compounds could be credited as acai benefits, studies have not shown that acai is not necessarily superior to other fruits to which it is related that also contain high antioxidant levels.

This doesn’t mean acai benefits don’t exist, but the fruit is about as beneficial as many other types of fruit to which it is related. It does have some additional attractive qualities including presence of oleic acid, which is an omega-nine fatty acid. Oleic acid is thought to promote health and provide healthy or beneficial fat in the diet. Nutritionally, acai also contains high levels of manganese and copper, which might contribute to overall health.

Yet do acai benefits include weight loss, energy gain, and anti-aging properties? Thus far, research has not been able to prove this. It can be said that acai benefits do exist, but not to the levels claimed by many sellers of acai. Acai’s marketing as a super food has made it much more expensive, and people should know it may not be necessary to spend this much to get plenty of anthocyanins and other antioxidants in the diet. Cranberries, blueberries and other fruit like strawberries tend to be cheaper and at present, unless scientists can verify claims about acai benefits, are likely to prove almost equally beneficial or in some cases superior.