Vitamin Information Center

Advertisements for the acai berry are all over the Internet. This miracle fruit from South America was hailed as the number one super food on the planet for its exceedingly high nutritional content. Acai berries are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that no other fruit can provide. Among the most important acai health benefits is its ability to fight obesity.

Acai is rich in dietary fiber — a type of carbohydrate from plant materials that are indigestible to humans. Fiber moves food down your digestive track faster and smoother. It also keeps your stomach lining and intestines free of toxins.

However, Americans consume less than 50% of the dietary fiber levels required for good health. In fact, with the youth’s alarming dependence on fast food, this value dips to as low as 20%, heavily contributing to the obesity crisis in the US.

Fiber from vegetables, fruit, grain, and legumes can reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and digestive disorders such as constipation, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and colon cancer.

Legumes, wheat bran, prunes, Asian pears, raspberries and blackberries are among the most fiber-rich foods on the planet. But sitting at the top of the list is the acai berry, which, according to two research groups, contains 25-44% of dietary fiber in its pulp.

Acai berries are also loaded with amino acids. These little proteins energize your body so you can perform physical tasks such as brisk walking and cardio workouts. Acai contains more than a dozen different kinds of amino acids, making it the best single source of this important building block.

Whereas obesity is a result of accumulating bad fat, acai berries counter this with a generous amount of good fat — specifically Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Omega fatty acids found in acai negate the effects of bad cholesterol while maintaining good cholesterol.

Make no mistake — obesity can kill you! It can lead to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, migraines, and debilitating back pain. The acai berry alone will not cure all your health issues. It should be taken with proper nutritional diet and regular exercise. But a heaping helping of acai health benefits can be your first big step towards keeping fit.

By Maureen Williams, ND

Healthnotes Newswire (September 11, 2008)—People with digestive diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are especially susceptible to osteoporosis and bone fractures, due in part to nutrient deficiencies caused by malabsorption and medication side effects. A new study found that people with good vitamin D status early in the course of their disease had higher bone density and a greater likelihood of increasing bone density over time.

Healthy vitamin D levels predict healthy bones

The study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, included 101 people who had recently been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Vitamin D levels in the blood and bone mineral density were measured at the beginning of the study, and bone density measurements were repeated approximately two years later.

Only 22% of the people had optimal vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study. Higher vitamin D levels were associated with higher bone density in the spine, hip, and total body. People with better vitamin D status were more likely than others to have an increase in bone mineral density over the course of the study.

The link between IBD and bone density

IBD is a group of inflammatory conditions affecting the large and small intestines. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most common types, both of which are believed to be autoimmune (when the immune system attacks the body’s cells) in nature. People with IBD usually experience chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea, often with bleeding and mucus.

In people with IBD, inflammation in the bowel wall and diarrhea compromise absorption and result in nutrient deficiencies. In addition, corticosteroid medicines that are used to treat IBD can interfere with calcium absorption and metabolism. Maintaining healthy bone density requires the integrated work of a number of nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D, so it is not surprising that people with IBD have high rates of low bone density (osteopenia and osteoporosis).

Improving vitamin D status

Vitamin D is made in the body through a series of chemical reactions that begins in sun-exposed skin. Modern lifestyles with limited outdoor time and widespread use of sunscreens have led to increasing rates of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, and these rates are even higher in the elderly and people with chronic disease.

“Poorer vitamin D correlates with lower baseline bone mineral density and better vitamin D status is correlated with a gain in total bone mineral density. Early optimization of vitamin D may play an important role in preventing IBD-related bone disease,” said the researchers from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in eggs and fish, as well as fortified dairy foods and some dairy substitutes, but the authors noted that their findings suggest that adding vitamin D supplements is warranted for most people with IBD.

Health benefits
The primary health benefit of vitamin E is that it’s an antioxidant support. Antioxidants play a crucial role in the body as they help protect against free-radical damage.

Every day, we are exposed to a variety of free radicals, such as air pollutants, cigarette smoke and other toxins that we take in over time that have a disastrous effect on our health.

Antioxidants help fight off these free radicals so that we can stay disease-free. Most notably, antioxidants can help with the war against cancer and cardiovascular disease — two of the largest health problems around.

Vitamin E also helps support a healthy immune system, as well as aid in the process of DNA repair.
Foods
Vitamin E is mostly found in nuts, oils and leafy vegetables. Here is a list of the foods that you should concentrate on consuming to meet your daily requirements for this nutrient:
Wheat germ oil
Almonds, dry roasted
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted
Sunflower oil
Safflower oil
Hazelnuts, dry roasted
Peanuts and peanut butter
Corn oil
Spinach
Broccoli
Soybean oil
Kiwi
Mango
Recommended intake
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin E for men aged 14 and over is set at 15 mg, which is equal to 22.5 IU (International Units).

Additionally, certain individuals with health conditions are unable to meet their vitamin E needs because they have difficulties digesting or absorbing dietary fat. This includes those with Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis.

On the other hand, there is an upper intake level set at 1,000 mg (1,500 IU) per day to prevent symptoms of toxicity. Most people have trouble just getting the recommended intake, so unless you are supplementing in very large doses, it is unlikely you’d ever reach this level.
vitamin e and heart disease
Some researchers believe that vitamin E plays a large role in helping to prevent the development of coronary heart disease, as it limits the amount of oxidation in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in the blood. When oxidation takes place, it causes artery blocks, which can lead to heart attacks.

Individuals who have the highest optimal intake of vitamin E show a 30% to 40% lower incidence of heart disease than those who aren’t getting enough.

Furthermore, proper vitamin E intake helps to prevent the formation of blood clots, which again, can lead to heart attacks.

incidental benefits of vitamin e
An incidental benefit of vitamin E intake is improved dietary fat consumption. Since the typical foods that contain vitamin E are rich in healthy fats, the quality of nutrition you are getting is optimal. Almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, and hazelnuts are all great sources of dietary fat, so focus on including more of them in your daily diet to increase your vitamin E intake.
eat your vitamins
Ensure you’re not overlooking the importance of vitamin E in your diet. Far too many people are “fat-phobic” when, in actuality, fat is essential for proper health — even more essential than carbohydrates. Not only will consuming foods rich in vitamin E help supply all the benefits described above, but they are also a great source of energy that don’t have a negative effect on blood sugar level.

Resources:
http://ods.od.nih.gov

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