Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ve seen online ads advertising the powerful weight loss benefits of the rare acai berry.
And even with Dr. Oz endorsing its use, its appeal is hard to deny.
But could it all be untrue?
Believe it or not, a recent study found that acai berries could actually make you fatter–while other berries may hold the key to busting fat.
“By supplementing high-fat diets with potentially health-promoting berries, we sought to identify berries capable of ameliorating risk factors from excessive energy intake,” writes researchers from Lund University in Sweden, whose study initially made headlines earlier this week. “In conclusion, this study demonstrated that daily supplementation with lingonberries and also blackcurrants and bilberries had pronounced antiobesity and beneficial metabolic effects in high-fat fed C57BL/6J mice.”
To sum it up, say researchers, if you’re snacking on acai berries to lose weight, you’re snacking on the wrong fruit.
What Researchers Found
Testing out the effects of certain berries on fat loss, researchers from Lund University–which included diabetes researcher Karin Berger–used rodents who were genetically predisposed to carrying more fat, serving as a model for the average overweight human. Researchers then split them into two groups: A group fed a low-fat diet and a group fed a diet of either prunes, acai berry, blackcurrant, blackberry, crowberry, raspberry, bilberry, or lingonberry. The rodents stayed on the diet for a total of 13 weeks.
After the 13 weeks had elapsed, researchers checked up on their weight and fat levels–and it appeared lingonberries reigned supreme.
“This study demonstrated that daily supplementation with lingonberries and also blackcurrants and bilberries had pronounced antiobesity and beneficial metabolic effects in high-fat fed mice,” says Berger. “Up to 20 percent of our mice’s diet was lingonberries. It isn’t realistic for humans to eat such a high proportion.”
Out of all of the berries used, lingonberries was the only one that resulted in lower cholesterol levels as well–meaning its effects don’t just extend to weight loss. But the same can’t be said for the infamous acai berry.
“Instead, the opposite happened,” says Berger. “In our study, the açai berries led to weight gain and higher levels of fat in the liver.”
So why the large discrepancies? While researchers can’t say for sure, they can say one thing–polyphenols may have something to do it. More specifically, lingonberries contain high amounts of polyphenols called quercertin glucosides, something you won’t also find in acai berries.
“The group receiving açai displayed increased weight gain and developed large, steatotic livers,” say researchers. “Quercetin glycosides were detected in the lingonberry and the blackcurrant diets.”
What You Should Do
If you’re thinkig about slimming down, don’t be fooled by those acai berry ads–they simply don’t work. Instead, consider adding a handful of lingonberries to your diet. Best place to find them: Your local IKEA or Swedish grocery store will likely carry them.
Readers: Are berries a regular part of your diet? Why or why not?
Sources:
Lingonberries Fight Fat in Mice – Discovery.com
Study: Lingonberries Reduce Fat While Acai Berries Increase Fat – Hindawi.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.