Acai Berry Side Effects

If you keep up with dieting trends even just a little, then you've surely heard about the great benefits of acai fruit, but you've also likely heard nothing about acai berry side effects. This fruit comes from the Amazon rainforest and has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries and grapes. The berry is purported to do wonders for your health, prevent cancer and even help you lose weight quickly. Furthermore, the fruit tastes delicious; its flavor has been described as a sweet mix between berries and dark chocolate.

With all of these attributes, the acai fruit seems almost too good to be true. This feeling becomes even more prominent when manufacturers say there are no known side effects for the berry. However, depending on how you use the fruit this may or may not be true.

Unfortunately, scientists have conducted very few studies on the acai berry in general, let alone on any possible side effects of the fruit. It is only until very recently that Americans started consuming large quantities of acai and going on acai berry diets. This means it is going to take some time for scientists to study the repercussions of these actions.

What scientists and nutritionists do know is that the fruit in its raw form is not dangerous unless you have a specific allergic reaction to it. Eating acai berries would be no more risky than eating blueberries or grapes. If you eat too many of them, you may get a stomachache, but that's about it.

The same goes for acai juice. Drinking acai juice would be the equivalent of drinking any other fruit juices, such as orange or apple juice. However, remember that fruit juice contains high concentrations of the fruit and subsequently high concentrations of fruit sugar. Too much fruit sugar intake can lead to headaches and feelings of sickness; it can be dangerous to diabetics. Still, drinking acai juice is no more dangerous than drinking any other fruit juices.

You'd think if acai could pose any risks, then it would do so in pill form. However, at this time this seems not to be the case. One study tested three popular brands of acai pills and found no negative effects. Dieters who took the acai pills for two weeks only reported significant weight loss and feelings of increased energy.

Although more research needs to be done, acai berry pills seem to have no known side effects. This only goes for those pills that solely contain acai; some diet pills mix acai and other chemicals and medicines for which there may very well be a whole host of side effects.

It seems that all forms of acai are safe, but this begs further investigation since acai dieters report such rapid weight loss in a matter of just days. Again, this seems too good to be true.

The problem comes in when dieters eat or drink only acai berries for days in an effort to lose a large amount of weight in a very short time. It is these dieters that report such amazing weight loss results. However, this is similar to doing a fast, and although acai berries are not dangerous, fasting can be.

Fasting to lose weight quickly is not recommended by some nutritionists since they say you're depriving your body of the nutrition it needs during the fast. Other nutritionist say fasting is safe as long as you do it properly and are completely healthy going into the fast. Still others say fasting is counterproductive, because you're starving your body and your body's natural reaction after the fast will be to gain weight as quickly as possible. That means, after your fast is over and you start eating again, everything you eat will go to fat reserves and not be burned off since your body "thinks" it may have to endure a period of famine again.

Furthermore, fasting can be down right dangerous for those with medical conditions or for those who are underweight or undernourished. The sensible thing to do is to talk with your doctor or nutritionist before attempting any type of fast.

While acai berries are just like any other fruit and seem entirely safe, going on a fast with just acai berries can be dangerous. Eating acai berries with your healthy balanced diet is a great way to be healthy and take in the fruit's wonderful antioxidants. However, if you're considering going on an all acai diet for any period of time, please consult your doctor or nutritionist first.

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