"A University of Florida study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on Jan 12. 2006 found that Acai berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested in vitro. In the current UF study, six different chemical extracts were made from ACAI fruit pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations. Four of the extracts, were shown to kill significant numbers of leukemia cells when applied for 24 hours. Depending on the extract and concentration, anywhere from about 35 percent to 86 percent of the cells died."
Assistant Professor Stephen Talcott says “This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope. We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.” The University will now study the effect of acai antioxidants on healthy human subjects.
