Now is a great time to talk about the health benefits of acerola.
What is acerola?
Acerola is a small tropical fruit that comes from Central and South America.
It is also called the Barbados cherry or the West Indian cherry.
This bright red fruit isn’t just pretty to look at; it’s also full of vitamins and minerals that make it a great addition to a healthy diet.
Acerola is becoming more popular as a natural way to treat common illnesses like colds and flu.
This is because it has a lot of healthy nutrients and a wide range of possible health benefits.
One cherry of the acerola fruit can have as much as 65 mg of vitamin C, which is a very important nutrient.
This is about six times as much vitamin C as there is in an orange.
Here’s a list of the health benefits of acerola.
- Acerola might be able to stop cramps.
- Could help with digestion.
- Acerola might help with pain and inflammation.
- Is rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Acerola may help the brain work better.
- May help keep the liver healthy.
- Acerola could be good for your teeth and bones.
- Contains antioxidants.
- Acerola may help the health of your skin.
- Contains a lot of vitamin C.
- Acerola might give you more energy.
- May strengthen the immune system.
- Acerola may help people with diabetes.
- Could be good for eye health.
- Acerola might speed up your metabolism.
- Could make more collagen.
- Acerola may help keep your heart in good shape.
- May help you lose weight.
Please keep reading if you want to find out more.
1. Acerola May Help Prevent Cramps
Potassium helps relax your muscles, preventing or treating muscle cramps.
Bananas are popular for this, but acerola also contains potassium that can do the job.
Although bananas have more potassium content, you can also eat acerola if you need a change of taste.
2. May Aid In Digestion
Compared to other fruits, acerola doesn’t contain that much fiber.
But consuming it can still add up and help improve your digestive health.
A healthy digestive system can prevent bloating, constipation, cramping, diarrhea, and gastric ulcers.
3. May Help With Pain And Inflammation (My Favorite Health Benefit Of Acerola)
Studies have shown that eating acerola can help reduce swelling caused by arthritis, gout, and other inflammatory conditions.
Studies also show that the anthocyanins in acerola may also help reduce the pain that comes with long-term illnesses like fibromyalgia.
Anthocyanins are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce pain and inflammation symptoms and protect cells from damage.
Acerola also has vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system and fight inflammation even more.
4. Is Rich In Vitamins And Minerals
Eating raw acerola can give you tons of nutrients. You’ll get dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Some of the vitamins you can get are vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, and vitamin C.
As for the minerals, you’ll get calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
5. Acerola May Improve Brain Functions
Acerola is part of the berry family, which is known to have powerful antioxidants that are good for your brain.
You might experience less memory loss if you consume acerola.
Some even say that it can help children improve their intelligence.
Of course, more studies should be done to fully validate this.
Afang leaves may also be good for the brain. You can learn more about how it might help your health by clicking here.
6. May Aid In Liver Health
According to a study, acerola extracts were given to mice, and researchers noticed that they were able to protect the liver from oxidative stress.
This helped prevent liver damage in mice.
Since the study was done on animals, more research needs to be done to see if it’s important enough to help people.
Some studies found that the antioxidants and vitamin C in acerola were very important for improving the health of the liver.
7. Acerola May Be Good For The Bones And Teeth
Because of the calcium in acerola, you could say that it can be helpful in improving the health of your bones and teeth.
Next time, choose to eat acerola snacks.
It may lead to better bone and tooth health.
8. Contains Antioxidants
Acerola is assumed to have a high level of antioxidants.
You can find polyphenolic anthocyanidin compounds in acerola like chlorogenic acid, cyanidin-3-glycoside, ferulic acid, quercetin, and tannins, which all have antioxidant properties.
It is good for cleansing your body from harmful substances and toxins that can lead to different kinds of diseases.
Antioxidants play a big role in maintaining your overall health.
It can help with brain health, eye health, heart health, disease prevention, and more.
9. Acerola May Contribute In Skin Health
Some nutrients in acerola, like copper and vitamin C, are able to improve your skin’s texture and make it more beautiful.
These aid in the reduction of wrinkles and the dryness of the skin.
Copper is another nutrient that is good for both your skin’s elasticity and firmness.
10. Is A Good Source Of Vitamin C
Probably the most notable thing about acerola is that it is rich in vitamin C.
This is why some vitamin C supplements revolve around acerola extracts.
Vitamin C does a lot of things in your body, like improving your immune system, preventing different illnesses, and more.
One of the diseases it can prevent is scurvy, which is caused by a deficiency in vitamin C.
📚 Acerola, An Untapped Functional Superfruit – A Review On Latest Frontiers
There is a lot of vitamin C in shishito peppers as well. Click here to find out more about how it might help your health.
11. Acerola May Improve Your Energy Levels
Acerola contains nutrients that are essential for maintaining your daily energy and preventing fatigue.
Manganese, potassium, and zinc do this job for you.
Vitamin C helps prevent stress, which can make you lose energy during the day.
12. May Boost Immunity
Acerola also has a high content of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is good for your immune system because it stimulates the production of white blood cells, which are your primary defense against harmful foreign agents and pathogens.
This vitamin also helps your body heal faster by repairing blood vessels, cells, organs, and tissues.
13. Acerola May Help With Diabetes Management
There are some studies that suggest that acerola contains chlorogenic acid.
It would seem that chlorogenic acid is able to help lower blood sugar levels and regulate blood glucose levels.
14. Acerola Promotes Eye Health
Acerola is also a good source of vitamin A.
As you may have also learned from your elementary school days, vitamin A is good for keeping our eyes healthy.
15. Acerola May Optimize Metabolism
Acerola is full of vitamin B complex, which is important for balancing your hormones and keeping your metabolism running smoothly.
These B-complex groups can properly metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
This keeps your body running smoothly.
Agave nectar may also make your metabolism work faster. Find out more about how it might help your health by clicking here.
16. May Increase Collagen
Because acerola is high in vitamin C, it can help your body make enough collagen.
Collagen is great for slowing down the aging process and can even help athletes do better.
17. Acerola May Help In Keeping A Healthy Heart
Acerola is a good source of potassium, which is important for keeping your heart healthy.
Potassium is a vasodilator.
This means that it can improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels.
This can prevent or reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The antioxidants in acerola also help keep your cardiovascular system in top condition by fighting harmful free radicals that can cause oxidative stress in your organs.
18. May Aid In Weight Loss
Acerola is low in calories and fat, which makes it a great snack for those who would like to shed some pounds.
Since it is also a metabolism booster, you may benefit from it by burning more energy instead of storing it in your body as fat.
Conclusion
I like berries like blueberries and cranberries, and I would like to eat some acerola too.
Acerola will not disappoint you when it comes to the health benefits it brings.
It’s similar to all the other berries out there.
Acerola has the ability to help reduce inflammation.
This is my favorite health benefit on the list.
What is yours?
Even though acerola is more common than other herbs or plants in my blog, you should still talk to your doctor or another medical professional before eating it for health reasons.
There may be a chance that you have a medical condition that doesn’t allow you to eat them.
Please share this article with your family and friends who can benefit from it.
I’ve also written articles about other fruits that are beneficial to our health.
Thank you!