Fruits like the acai berry that have a natural purple pigment, may assist in preventing obesity as these pigments may hold the key to preventing obesity according to a group of scientist in Arkansas.
Their animal study however, reports that eating the whole fruit containing these pigments seems to be less effective than eating an extract of the berry.
According to Mr. Prior and his peers, the compound called anthocyanins that is found in dark colored fruit is shown to prevent obesity in mice that are fed a high calorie diet.
The mice also were reported to show other healthy benefits from the fruit. Anthocyanins are found in acai berries blackberries, purple corn, and many other purple based foods.
Researchers found that the mice who were fed a diet high in calories, drank water, and consumed purified anthocyanins from acai berry, and strawberries gained less weight and contained a lower level of fat.
Feeding the whole berry tended to increase the weight in mice. But, when the mice were fed the anthocyanins extract from the berries, it tended to reduce obesity according to the study.
“Whole Berries versus Berry Anthocyanins: Interactions with Dietary Fat Levels in the C57BL/6J Mouse Model of Obesity” is fully published in its entirety in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Colorful pigments found in the skin of blueberries, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables may help prevent obesity, according to recent animal studies from the USDA Agricultural Research Service.