Acai supplements have become extremely popular recently, and it is no surprise when you look at the ads.  Who wouldn’t want to take a supplement that “melts off the pounds”, detoxifies the body and is great source of antioxidants.  In fact, it almost sounds too good to be true…and that’s because it is too good to be true.

There is no research to support using Acai for weight loss, to increase energy or to detoxify your body.  But what about Oprah…if she endorses it, it must work, right?  The truth is that Oprah does not endorse Acai, and this supplement has been part of a multimillion dollar scam.  Need proof??  Check out this “Berry Weight Loss” clip from ABC news and read this “Fraud Alert” in April’s Nutrition Action Newsletter.  Still not convinced, please take a look at the newsletter of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The only  reason to take an Acai supplement would be for the antioxidant properties.  Antioxidants in the diet have been found to help stabilize free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can lead to cancer, wrinkling of the skin, arthritis and many other conditions.  Therefore, a diet high in antioxidants can have protective measures.  However, they have not found that taking antioxidants in supplement form has the same benefits as eating foods that are rich in antioxidants for general health benefits.  However, if you have certain conditions (like arthritis or need to heal a wound) taking additional antioxidant in supplement form may be beneficial.  If you are looking to add more antioxidants to your diet consider blueberries, pomegranate, tea and red wine.  If you are looking for supplements, a red wine extract or a green tea extract would probably give you more benefit because they have a greater antioxidant capacity than Acai.

Lack of sleep has been linked to several health problems such as increased risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and certain types of cancers.   Last week, researchers added another reason to make sure that you are getting adequate sleep.  They found that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep per night are 4.5 times more likely to have abnormal blood sugar readings after 6 years. 

Without adequate sleep our bodies develop insulin resistance, a condition where our bodies produce too much insulin but can not use it efficiently.  Insulin resistance can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Finally, there is a way to improve your health that is so easy you can do it with your eyes closed.

Reference: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE52A7EC20090311

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the body.  In December, I wrote about how Diet Can Help Manage Gout.  One dietary treatment mentioned is that vitamin C may be able to help in the prevention or treat of this disease, and a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this week provides more evidence to support this. Researchers looked at nearly 47,000 men and found that those who consumed more vitamin C had a lower risk for gout.  They believe that vitamin C may help to lower uric acid levels in the body, and that every 500 mg increase in Vitamin C can decrease the risk of developing gout by 17%.  In fact, when men consumed 1,500 mg of Vitamin C, they had 45% lower risk of gout than those who consumed less than 250 mg.

The following chart lists some good food sources of vitamin C and their vitamin C content:

Including some of these foods in the diet is a great start to meet your vitamin C needs, but a vitamin C supplement may also be necessary in order to prevent/treat gout.