What are the effects of açai berries, cooked and raw blueberries, grapes, cocoa, green tea, and freshly squeezed orange juice on artery function?
Plant-based diets reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some of our other leading causes of death and disability. “Studies have shown that the longest living and least dementia-prone populations subsist on plant-based diets,” writes Alexander G. Schauss, senior director of research at AIBMR Life Sciences in “Bioactive Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements in Neurological and Brain Disease.”
So why focus on açaí berries, just one plant, for brain health and performance, as in the cause of Schauss’s chapter “The Effect of Acai (Euterpe spp.) Fruit Pulp on Brain Health and Performance,” published in the above mentioned book.
Why aren’t we hearing about other foods with this effect?
Foods rich in polyphenols are known to improve brain health, and açaí berries contain lots of polyphenols and antioxidants, so perhaps that’s why they could be beneficial. If you’re only looking at polyphenols, though, there are more than a dozen foods that contain more per serving, such as black elderberry, regular fruits such as plums, flaxseeds, dark chocolate, and even just a cup of coffee.
