South American Berry May Protect from Alzheimer’s

The South American palm acaí berry (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) is abundant in polyphenols and other antioxidants.  Daphne Wong, from the University of Adelaide (Australia), and colleagues employed a laboratory model of Alzheimer’s Disease, in which cells were pretreated with acai extract and then exposed to a specific form of beta-amyloid. The team found that the acai extract inhibited the aggregation of beta-amyloid proteins, thereby preventing brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress. The study authors report that: “In comparison with other phenolics, acaí was most effective at inhibiting [beta-amyloid] aggregation. Inhibition of β-amyloid aggregation may underlie a neuroprotective effect of acaí.”