The acai berry has become a prominent addition to the “super food” list because of its nutrient properties, vitamins, essential fatty acids and fiber. It has also become a fashionable additive to anti-aging wrinkle creams because of its high level of antioxidants. When they reach their targets, antioxidants prevent oxidation of cells which can in turn contribute to the aging process for skin. For that reason acai has found its way to the cosmetic aisle in a variety of facial applications.
Free radicals are molecules that are found in the human body and that cause oxidation. They are damaging substances that are continuously being generated when the oxygen we breathe splits into individual oxygen atoms because of ongoing biochemical processes. Oxygen atoms or free radicals, when they accumulate, cause damage to cell membranes, DNA and enzymes.
The best defense is a free radical scavenger or antioxidant molecule that captures and inactivates free radicals. The health benefits result when the amount of oxidative stress in the body is terminated by antioxidants. The antioxidants in acai help to prevent the destruction of cells by becoming the oxidized cells and thus preventing damage to existing skin cells and other healthy cells in the physiological systems.
Inclusion of acai in anti wrinkle products is meant to bring some powerful antioxidant compounds to bear on skin tissue, which is impacted by oxidation caused by sun exposure and pollution. Anti wrinkle serums that contain acai are designed to contribute to softer, livelier, more youthful skin by providing antioxidant protection to skin cells.
The anti-aging claims for acai use center on the cosmetics used for skin treatment and wrinkle reduction. When acai is included in a diet supplement it is often cited as having anti-aging properties; in this instance the antioxidants would be reaching the blood stream through ingestion.
The question with both the topical applications and the supplements is about the efficacy with which these antioxidants reach their targets. Skin regeneration occurs beneath the surface, so do elements of a cream or serum reach beneath the outer surface? Do acai antioxidants in powder, capsule or tablet form survive the digestive process?
There is some evidence that the answer is yes to both questions – it depends on whom you ask. Marketers are overzealous and medical professionals are always cautious. But one of the prevailing facts is that the acai berry has been used for nutritional and medicinal purposes in Brazil for hundreds of years.