Remember the outsized claims of the health benefits of acai? (Alzheimer’s, erectile dysfuntion, no problem.) Remember the article in the New Yorker that disabused us of many of those claims? Now it’s time to think anew about the claims, some of which appear to be supported by research conducted at Emory University. An Emory news release reports that an acai berry product has been shown to lengthen the lives of fruit flies, at least when the flies’ lives are made short through additional oxidative stress. The researchers found under certain conditions (a simple sugar diet) acai supplementation could triple flies’ lifespans, from eight to 24 days, and could also counteract the neurotoxic effects of the herbicide paraquat on the flies. Wait there’s more: acai worked better at extending the life of flies than several other antioxidant products, including vitamins, coenzyme Q10 and lutein. Read more from Emory. Read the study here.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely convinced that we can infer anything about human health from this fruit fly study, but I appreciate the report on the study. I’ve been preparing daily acai bowls for myself — not really for the very real nutritional value, but because they are delicious — and I can attest to one thing: Fruit flies love acai like they like vinegar. If you don’t clean up right away, they are all over your kitchen or blender before you know it. Little did I know that I was offering the little pests the elixir of life…
Thanks, again…