Cancer Decisions - Free Newsletter

HERE AT THE MOSS REPORTS

People facing a diagnosis of cancer often must make a series of crucial treatment decisions in very short order. It can be hard to choose wisely at a time when one is under such intense pressure. The widely praised Moss Reports are an invaluable source of information on the currently available conventional and alternative treatments. There are now well over 200 individual Moss Reports, each one on a different, specific kind of cancer. For cancer patients and their families, a Moss Report is a truly invaluable resource. These reports can be ordered and downloaded directly from our Web site, www.cancerdecisions.com.

For those who have already purchased a Moss Report on their specific cancer diagnosis, a phone consultation with Dr. Ralph Moss can be enormously helpful in narrowing down the options and arriving at a coherent treatment strategy. If you are a Moss Report client and would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Moss, please contact Anne by email: Anne@cancerdecisions.com.

We are also expanding our series of concise special reports on specific cancer-related subjects. We currently offer three special reports: one on the use of supplemental antioxidants during cancer treatment; one on the breast cancer drug Herceptin; and one on screening mammography and the diagnosis of breast cancer. These reports can also be ordered and downloaded directly from our Web site at www.cancerdecisions.com (click the 'Special Reports' button on the left side of the homepage).

We look forward to helping you.

A FRIENDLY SKEPTIC LOOKS AT AÇAI, PART TWO

Last week I began an examination of the new fruit juice sensation, açai. I conclude the discussion this week. References to the two-part series can be found at the end of this week's article.

Scientific Basis

Is there any scientific backing for the health claims made for açai products?

Here are some basic facts. The nutritional content of açai is 1-4 percent protein, 7-11 percent fats, 25 percent sugar, 0.05 percent calcium, 0.033 percent phosphorous, and 0.0009 percent iron. Açai also has small amounts of sulphur, vitamin B1 and E and beta carotene. It delivers 88 to 265 calories per 100 grams, depending on the source and preparation method.

A PubMed search for Euterpe oleracea reveals half a dozen relevant articles, but none clinical in nature. In fact, none has anything to say about its alleged health-promoting properties, except in the most general terms. Yes, it has antioxidants and antioxidants are good for you. But it is a far stretch to claim that this juice or its constituents will cure any disease.

Simply put, I can discover no scientific basis whatsoever for making medical or health promoting claims for açai. Nor is its traditional usage of much help. In the Brazilian Amazon, hungry Indian forest tribes use every part of the tree. They eat the tasty heart of palm, turn the fruit into a drink, eat the leaves as a kind of cabbage, and finally use the fronds to thatch their houses. Excess fruit is sometimes taken to town as a cash crop. Açai juice is understandably popular among the poor, for the obvious reason that it is abundant and free for the taking.

There is talk on the Web of some broad folk medicine usages. "In traditional Brazilian herbal medicine," says Leslie Taylor, ND, writing at www.rain-tree.com, "the oil of the fruit is used to treat diarrhea; an infusion of the root is used for jaundice and to build the blood; an infusion of the grated fruit rind is used as a topical wash for skin ulcers; and, the fruit seeds are crushed and prepared in an infusion for fevers."

"In the Peruvian Amazon," Taylor continues, "an infusion of the toasted crushed seeds is used for fever, and a decoction of the root is used for malaria, diabetes, hepatitis and jaundice, hair loss, hemorrhages, liver and kidney diseases, menstrual pain, and muscle pain."

That's quite a line-up. But bear in mind that this is just by reputation, not by systematic study. Such traditional usage is not a guide to current-day practice but merely a pointer towards what one might find upon truly scientific examination.

Meanwhile, the fruit liquid "is not really that nutritious in comparison to many other fruit juices," according to Dr. Taylor. The dark purple color of the fruit is due to the presence of certain polyphenols. Since the mature fruit is dark purple or black in color it comes as no surprise that one of the main chemical constituents is anthocyanin, a type of flavonoid that is widely distributed in plants and also lends a red to purple color to grapes, blackberries, and raspberries. According to a German study, anthocyanin contributes only about 10 percent of the antioxidants in the juice, so "obviously, compounds not yet identified are responsible for the major part of the antioxidant capacities of the acai fruit pulp" (Lichtenthaler 2005).

According to Dr. Taylor, "the anthocyanin in açai is highly unstable and degrades easily in the presence of heat, humidity, as well as in the presence of enzyme actions of other chemicals in the fruit. This makes açai fruit highly perishable; it readily changes in color, taste, and anthocyanin content with even short term (12 hours) refrigerated storage." So even to get this rather generic benefit the product would have to be handled with exemplary care. This fact is not mentioned in the publicity material I have seen for the juice.

Furthermore, the antioxidants in açai are not necessarily as potent as has been claimed. One of the few scientific studies on the topic found that "the antioxidant capacities of all purple açai samples were found to be excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite and poor against hydroxyl radicals compared with common European fruit and vegetable juices recently analyzed" (Lichtenthaler 2005).

As indicated, açai has not been the subject of any studies to determine its biological activity, according to Dr. Taylor, since (despite the general folk usages) it isn't traditionally used for any specific type of medical condition, such as cancer.

There are a few laboratory studies concerning açai and cancer in the literature. One study reports that phenolic and anthocyanin compounds from this fruit have the ability to retard the growth of cancer cells in the test tube (in vitro). But Dr. Taylor points out, "As all the chemicals extracted from açai for this study were well known chemicals (no novel chemicals found yet in açai) found in other common fruits and plants and which had similar in vitro cancer cell studies performed, this was not anything profound or new."

Last month, a team at the University of Florida showed that extracts from açai berries triggered a self-destruct response (apoptosis) in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, according to Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (Nordlie 2006). The team is also conducting a study to test the effect of açai in healthy human volunteers.

But Prof. Talcott cautioned: "This was only a cell-culture model and we don't want to give anyone false hope." In fact, many fruit juices contain antioxidants and other phytonutrients, which have promise in the prevention of diseases including cancer. At the same time, they also contain lots of sugar, natural or added, and this could be a problem for those who are prone to type II diabetes, weight gain, and some other health conditions. Thus fruit juice (even when not sweetened) should be used in moderation. Despite the raw ORAC score, the quality of the antioxidants in açai seems somewhat more limited than those in other products.

I was quite satisfied with my $2 bottle of açai juice from Bossa Nova and will probably buy it again some day. But I see absolutely no reason, in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, to shell out $39 or more for a bottle of açai juice when one can get plenty of antioxidants from grapes, berries or pomegranates at a fraction of that cost.

It should go without saying that you should not rely on this juice to treat cancer or any serious medical condition. One or two laboratory tests do not constitute proof of clinical benefit. In fact, any suggestion that açai juice can cure any serious disease is entirely without foundation and is probably the prelude to a rip-off.

--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

References:

Del Pozo-Insfran D, Brenes CH, Talcott ST. Phytochemical composition and pigment stability of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). J Agric Food Chem. 2004;52:1539-1545.

Cordova-Fraga T, de Araujo DB, Sanchez TA, et al. Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) as an alternative oral contrast agent in MRI of the gastrointestinal system: preliminary results. Magn Reson Imaging. 2004;22:389-393.

Hassimotto NM, Genovese MI, Lajolo FM. Antioxidant activity of dietary fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen fruit pulps. J Agric Food Chem. 2005;53:2928-2935.

Lichtenthaler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius H, Marx F. Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Acai) fruits. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005;56:53-64.

Nordlie, Tom. Brazilian berry destroys cancer cells in lab, UF study shows. University of Florida News, January 12, 2006. Available at:
http://news.ufl.edu/2006/01/12/berries/

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

The news and other items in this newsletter are intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.