A novel study published online ahead of print in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology explored injecting the extract of a potent antioxidant known as acai berry into cigarettes that were in turn inhaled by laboratory mice. The researchers discovered that the acai berry treated cigarettes produced far less inflammation in mice receiving the antioxidant compared to mice exposed to cigarette smoke alone.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether providing a powerful antioxidant along with cigarette smoke would lessen the likelihood of lung tissue damage and associated inflammation. The researchers chose acai berry extract (specifically the extract of the acai berry stone [seed]) because previous research studies involving plant-based antioxidants known as proanthocyanidins have shown similar anti-inflammatory effects.
In this study, the researchers divided the 60 mice in the study into three groups. One group, the control group, received neither exposure to cigarette smoke or acai berry extract. A second group, the cigarette group, was exposed to cigarette smoke from 12 cigarettes daily over a 60 day period. The third group, the acai group, was exposed to cigarette smoke in the same manner as the cigarette group but received the cigarette smoke from cigarettes injected with the acai berry extract. (de Moura RS, et al. Addition of acai (Euterpe oleracea) to cigarettes has a protective effects against emphysema in mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print])
At the end of the 60 day period, all mice were euthanized and lung tissue samples were extracted. The researchers viewed lung tissue samples via microscope to assess the size of alveolar spaces between the three groups (in emphysema, alveolar spaces enlarge). In addition, the lung tissue was analyzed for counts of proteins and white blood cells that are known to be present in large numbers in inflamed airway tissue.
The study team discovered that the cigarette group had 38% greater alteration to alveolar tissue in comparison to the control group. The acai group had 25% lower alteration compared to the cigarette group (meaning the acai group’s lung tissue samples showed less alteration than the cigarette group but more alteration in comparison with the control group).
When analyzing the inflammation markers, researchers found 400% more leukocytes in the cigarette group compared to the control group. The acai group had 65% fewer leukocytes than the cigarette group (again showing the acai group lessened the impact of cigarette smoke). Similar findings were found for other markers such as macrophages and neutrophils.
The study team concluded, “This study demonstrated for the first time that adding a hydro-alcoholic extract of acai stone to cigarettes significantly reduced pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and CS-induced emphysema in mice… Because lung damage induced by CS is mainly due to inflammation and oxidative stress, it seems likely that acai’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties underlie these protective effects…The present study demonstrated that acai extract in cigarettes has a preventive action; that is, the harmful effects of CS can be significantly reduced when the smoke also contains antioxidant compounds.”
Now, what to make of this finding? First, it is unlikely you will find acai-injected cigarettes offered by cigarette companies any time soon. The medical community will object vociferously to such additives because they fear such additives will give consumers the false impression that adding antioxidants to cigarettes reduces their negative health effects.
Second, the study results echo those of other recent studies on different antioxidant ingredients. There is a clear, growing body of evidence in pulmonology research that antioxidant supplementation (whether through consumption of antioxidant rich foods or from dietary supplements) confers significant anti-inflammatory benefits in smokers and people with COPD.
Currently, there is no consensus view as to what antioxidants are most appropriate for smokers and people with lung disease. Further, there is no consensus among researchers as to the appropriate human dosage levels to achieve significant inflammation reduction (most recent studies have been conducted on either human tissue samples or laboratory animals).
That said, the antioxidants that have received the most attention from pulmonology researchers over the past few years include Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, N acetyl cysteine, reseveratrol, curcumin, quercetin, Chinese skull cap (baicalin), and now acai berry.
As an aside, all of the above antioxidants, with the exception of acai berry, are included in our respiratory support dietary supplement, Resplenish. To learn more about Resplenish, visit www.resplenish.com.
For more information about acai berry, click here for a WebMD.com summary.
For a sampling of dietary supplements that include acai berry, visit our Breathe Better Marketplace hosted by amazon.com.
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