Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Ray Sahelian, M.D., obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in nutrition from Drexel University and completed his doctoral training at Thomas Jefferson Medical School, both in Philadelphia. He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

A popular and respected physician and medical writer, Dr. Sahelian is internationally recognized as a moderate voice in the evaluation of natural supplements. In his books, articles, and website, he discusses both the benefits and risks of these supplements. He thoroughly evaluates both the published research and hands on actual patient feedback.

What makes Dr. Sahelian different than almost all other doctors who write about supplements (based only on published research) is that he actually tests on himself various herbs and nutrients in varying dosages to determine what kind of effect they have. It is through this experimental and experiential method that has provided him with significant insights into herbs and supplements that few other medical doctors have discovered. In addition, Dr. Sahelian, over his many years of medical and nutritional practice, has had personal feedback from thousands of his patients who were prescribed supplements, along with tens of thousands of supplement users who have emailed him writing about their experiences, both positive and negative. There’s hardly anyone else on this planet who has gathered this type of neutraceutical information from so many varied sources.

What does he say about Acai?

The acai berry is found in the Amazon forest and is promoted as having very powerful antioxidant properties. The acai berry is purple colored and small and comes from a palm tree known by the Brazilians as “the tree of life.” The predominant beneficial substances in the acai berry are polyphenols, flavonoids, mostly of the anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins categories.

Acai has been a traditional food for several centuries of the native people living in the Amazon forest. However it was only a few years ago, about the year 2000, that the acai berry was introduced to the Western market.

As a leading nutraceutical researcher, Ray Sahelian has been asked many questions about the acai berry and how it impacts human health. Below are just a few of the questions people have asked him about acai:

Is acai a vitamin?

No, acai is a berry, but acai has many antioxidant vitamins.

What are acai health benefit?

Acai has many antioxidants and can be helpful in medical conditions where antioxidants are useful.

Is acai juice safe?

As long as acai juice is used in reasonable amounts, we don’t see why an acai drink would not be safe. Acai should not have side effects unless used in excessive amounts.

Is your acai supplement the same berry Oprah had mentioned on her show?

Yes, it is the same acai berry fruit she had mentioned. Acai plant comes from many different plantations in the Amazon forest, particularly Brazil.

Just a question about juices. From what I have read there are numerous benefits to taking Acai juice, Mangosteen, Noni, and Goji juices. I’d love to take all of them all the time but that gets kind of expensive. What 2 or 3 of those are the best ones?

I would suggest alternating their use, and after one bottle is finished, go on to another one. There is not way of predicting which one will be best for your particular needs, and it is better to have variety. Another option is to take small amounts of acai berry supplement or other supplements and alternate their use. By using the acai supplement, you save yourself lots of calories.

Does Acai berry juice or Mona Vie Acai juice thin the blood?

MonaVie Acai juice and MonaVie Active Acai juice are both juices that are new to the market. MonaVie Acai juice is a blend of several fruit juices. As far as acai fruit is concerned, it does have flavonoids which are known to thin the blood, however no clinical human studies could be identified evaluating the role of acai berry and coagulation. Since MonaVie acai juice is a blend of several juices, it is difficult to say its role in blood thinning.

What is the ORAC value of acai? I have been told that acai has high ORAC value.

The acai orac value can vary significantly from crop to crop and method of harvesting, storage, encapsulation, etc. But acai does have a high orac value and it is not too important for practical health reasons to know exactly what the orac value is for a fruit, vegetable, herb, or supplement. Measurements of oxygen radical absorbance capacity ORAC on freeze-dried acai pulp and skin powders have been done for each of four reactive oxygen species (ROS) - superoxide, peroxynitrite, hydroxyl radical and peroxyl radical for both hydrophilic- and lipid-soluble species. The assay for superoxide, considered perhaps the most representative determination of antioxidant capacity (as it is involved in formation of other ROS and circulates systemically in blood), revealed a value of 161,400 units per 100 g, the highest result yet found for superoxide radical among plant foods. Total ORAC (against peroxyl radical) determined from both hydrophilic and lipophilic sources was 102,700 units per 100 g, again the highest value found to date among edible fruits and vegetables for this radical.

Your web site says acai berry is a vasilidator that it dilates blood vessels but all other sites say the opposite. Are you sure about this? I have lupus so i don’t want something that dilates blood vessels.

There is one study that says the compounds in Acai berry act as vasodilators. We have no other studies to prove or disprove this. However, it is premature to be concerned about acai berry and lupus based only on vasodilation. Many compounds such as polyphenols have anti-inflammatory activity and we don’t know the infuence of acai berry on the symptoms of lupus until studies are done.

For more information, visit Dr. Sahelian’s website here.