Acai is the fruit of a palm tree native to South America. It is consumed as food and used in traditional medicine. The pulp and skin of acai fruit are rich in anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and fatty acids ⁽¹⁾. It is marketed as a dietary supplement to lower cholesterol, support heart health, and for its antioxidant properties.

Preclinical experiments suggest acai has anti-inflammatory ⁽¹¹⁾, antioxidant ⁽¹⁰⁾, proapoptotic ^(2) (17), antitumorigenic ⁽¹⁸⁾, atheroprotective ⁽¹³⁾, and anticancer ⁽²¹⁾ effects. An acai extract inhibited beta-amyloid inhibition, which suggests it may also have neuroprotective activity ⁽¹⁹⁾. In a murine model, nasal administration of acai polysaccharides potentiated innate immunity against pulmonary infections ⁽¹⁶⁾. Other animal studies suggest oral acai extract may help prevent exercise intolerance, cardiac hypertrophy, and dysfunction in rats with myocardial infarction ⁽²⁰⁾.

Limited clinical studies suggest improvements in biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in individuals with metabolic syndrome ⁽²²⁾, tinnitus ⁽²⁶⁾ and vascular function in overweight adults ^(23) (27).  Other preliminary data suggest an acai juice product may lengthen prostate specific antigen PSA doubling time in patients with recurrent prostate cancer ⁽²⁴⁾. However, these observations need confirmation in larger well-designed studies ⁽²⁸⁾.

Acai protected against chemo-induced cardiotoxicity in murine models ⁽²⁹⁾. But because of its antioxidant effects, acai may interfere with the actions of certain chemotherapy drugs. Consumption of contaminated acai fruit with insects carrying Trypanosoma cruzii, a protozoan that causes Chagas disease, resulted in 178 cases of acute disease ⁽¹²⁾.