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Berkeley Wellness Alerts
January 5, 2010 | Comments: 5
Açaí: The Ponzi Berry
Offers for açaí juice and supplements have flooded the nation’s email boxes and airwaves. Don’t get hoodwinked by the claims and "free trials."
Açaí berries are a dietary staple in Brazil and have also been used medicinally by Amazonian tribes. Açaí juice was introduced in the U.S. in 2001, and there are now dozens of food and drink products containing açaí. As a juice, pulp, powder, or capsule, açaí is marketed as a magic path to weight loss, a wrinkle remover, a way to cleanse the body of "toxins," and indeed just a plain old miracle cure.
On the Internet you’ll find a bouquet of endorsements for açaí from such celebrities as Oprah and Rachael Ray (the TV chef), plus statements by these same celebrities denying any such endorsement. You will also find a war of words among makers of açaí products, each one claiming safety and effectiveness for its particular formulation, and warning of scams by others.
Since açaí came on the market there have been a few studies pointing to potential benefits. Like many other fruits, açaí berries are high in antioxidants and other interesting compounds. But these were lab studies, and the results may not apply to humans. There is no scientific basis for weight-loss claims or any other health claims for açaí.
Consumer protection groups and the Better Business Bureau have now come out against açaí marketers. "If Bernard Madoff were in the food business," said one nutritionist, "he’d be offering 'free' trials of açaí-based weight-loss products." Online ads regularly promise a free trial of açaí, saying that all you have to pay is shipping and handling. The catch is that you must supply your credit card number, and you’ll automatically be signed up for $50 monthly shipments that will prove hard to cancel.
We urge you not to give your credit card number to anybody selling açaí products. Hundreds of complaints have been registered, and you may never get your money back.
There is no magic berry for weight loss or good health. Açaí berries are no doubt a good food, like other berries, but why pay a fortune for them or supplements containing them?
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Wasn't there recently a recall of acai products in Canada?
Posted by: Unknown | January 5, 2010 2:24 PM
Is anyone else having trouble getting to "more information on this topic". I am logged in as a registered user, but I never get past the original blurb--when I go for "more information", there is nothing. I am not having any computer problems, so I am guessing, they don't have any information in any of these links. Anyone else noticed this??? There seems to be no way to contact the web people to ask them.
Posted by: Unknown | January 28, 2010 5:11 PM
We're still working on the site. Where it says "read more on this topic" it should say "read more on Dietary Supplements"--and we will change that. Meanwhile, since the site is new, there aren't many other articles posted, but gradually this will become an archive of previous Alerts in that topic.
Posted by: Michael G | January 29, 2010 7:14 AM
why the FDA doesn't make mandatory for the natural drug maker to put warning like some of them have high does of vitamin K which is not good for the person who is taking medication for blood thiner. Nautral product manufacture write to consult doctor but modern medication doctor does not know about natural things or medications. Like muscle milk mostly people think it is good for every one but it is not good for people who has hurrt surgery or bypass surgery. There is no warning form manufacturer of muscle milk that is not good for the people who have hurt surgery or bypass surgery.
Lot of multiple vitamins have K inside which is also not good for the people who are taking blood thinner medication but there is no indication on the bottle of multiple vitamin that is not good for who are taking blood thinner.
Now some natural manufacturers are marketing EDTA for benefits of blocked artieries. There is no indication that person who has high blood pressure or has by pass surgery should take it because it has sodium inside.
There should be strict policy from FDA to list warning sign on natural medications or herbs before they come to market and country in which they manufacture and its purity strength.
kumar
Posted by: Unknown | February 12, 2010 10:56 AM
The read more does not exist.
Posted by: Unknown | March 3, 2010 6:11 PM