Acai Berry Crushed

When claims that a particular food is particularly good for you start showing up in your spam filter, that's a good sign you should be wary.

So it is with the acai berry. Acai juice contains lots of antioxidants. It's good for you, no doubt. But all fruit juices, and lots of other foods, contain antioxidants. There's no reason to think that acai is some kind of magical elixir.

But the people selling it (and not just the spammers) would have you believe otherwise. MonaVie, a company that sells acai juice for $40 a bottle (!) issued the results of a study that supposedly proves acai's special properties.

Marion Nestle isn't moved. Here is the nutritionist's reading of the study's conclusions: "The antioxidants in MonaVie act like antioxidants in the test tube and in the body, and they work better than potato starch, which has no antioxidants. Why am I not surprised? This is a study sponsored by the manufacturer."

The New York Times (in the Fashion and Style section) also recently took a close look at the dubious marketing of acai, which I think can fairly be called a scam.

Even Oprah is distancing herself from the acai, her new James Frey. Her Web site and magazine have published articles praising the Brazilian berry, including by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, skin doctor to the stars, who sells the stuff himself in an "anti-aging" cream (actually, he doesn't -- see update below).

But now, she's going after companies that characterize her as endorsing acai. "Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any açaí berry product, company or online solicitation of such products, including MonaVie juice products," according to a statement on her Web site that comes up in search results amid a slew of pro-acai pages. "Attorneys for Harpo are pursuing companies that claim such an affiliation." She has also put the Illinois attorney general on the case, according to the Times.

Update on April 2. 2009: As the commenter below points out, Perricone does not sell a skin cream made with Acai. I regret the error. The only Acai product he peddles on his Web site is Super Berry Powder with Acai, a dietary supplement, which he claims "Provides antioxidant protection to help defer the visible signs of aging."  He does sell a number of skin creams and treatments, which he claims contain special anti-aging properties, often thanks in part to their antioxident ingredients. For example, you can get Neuropeptide Facial Conformer for $325 an ounce.

Also, as the commenter notes, lots of scammy sites are using Perricone's name (along with Oprah's) to sell stuff, apparently without his permission. It's all in the game.