10.01.09
Acai berry supplements tested recently by ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, passed quality standards, but the group urged caution about disturbing business practices and scams, and levels of combination ingredients. Acai berry has antioxidant properties and is a staple of the traditional Brazilian diet. In recent years, supplements and beverages containing acai have become popular in the U.S. due to extensive marketing as a “superfruit.” Concerned that products might contain unwanted ingredients, ConsumerLab.com recently purchased six acai products and tested them for heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, caffeine and undeclared stimulants. Tests showed that all of the selected products and six other acai supplements evaluated through the group’s Voluntary Certification Program met quality criteria for the tested contaminants. However, one acai “cleansing support” supplement lacked a required warning concerning potent laxative ingredients. Another with an unspecified amount of caffeine provided more than 100 mg of the stimulant per day. Acai formulas with caffeine or laxatives are often promoted for weight loss or cleansing purposes.