The Benefits and Research on Acerola Fruit

Acerola is very high in ascorbic acid or vitamin C. This nutrient is vital to the formation of blood vessels, bones, and other basic building blocks of the human body. Compared to other fruits high in vitamin C, such as oranges, acerola has around 50 to 100 times more ascorbic acid per 100 grams of fruit.

Because it's high in vitamin C, acerola juice might be effective at [citation href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4807388/"" title="Genetics and Molecular Biology" desc="Protective effects of acerola juice on genotoxicity induced by iron in vivo"]preventing DNA damage. The concentrated liquid could also have anti-inflammatory effects. This means acerola fruit could play an important role in reducing the risk of cancer, particularly if the fruit is consumed alongside other fruits during childhood. However, more research is required to determine how strongly diet plays into cancer prevention.

Acerola has been shown to present cytotoxic activity against tumor cells, meaning compounds in the fruit are potentially toxic to cancerous cells in the human body. Because of this, scientists suggest the fruit may have applications in treating people with cancer.

Since acerola is very high in vitamin C, the fruit has been used to create a variety of dietary supplements. Notably, the vitamin C found in acerola is better absorbed by the human body when compared to synthetic vitamin C supplements. However, since these dietary supplements often include additional ingredients such as sugar, it's unclear how an acerola-based vitamin C supplement may impact consumers.

Although acerola contains a variety of healthy nutrients, the fruit can have some harmful effects on humans if eaten whole. Specifically, some children have experienced intestinal inflammation after eating the entire fruit, including the seeds.

Similarly, other children have undergone treatment for intestinal obstructions after eating the entire fruit.

Acerola plants have very small stinging hairs on their leaves and portions of their stems. Touching these hairs while picking the fruit can result in skin irritation. However, there is a strong association between vitamin C deficiency and poor skin health, so consuming the acerola plant's vitamin-rich fruit carefully might be beneficial.

Since vitamin C is vital to a child's bone and muscle development, scientists suggest that acerola juice may be a suitable source of the nutrient among infants. In particular, acerola juice might be a good alternative for infants who are allergic to orange juice.

Acerola contains about 146 mg of potassium per 100 grams of fruit. This makes it potentially beneficial in efforts to prevent strokes, since high potassium intake has been linked to a decreased risk of high blood pressure.

Acerola may also be effective at raising natural potassium intake through diet rather than through supplements.

Potassium could help reduce the risk of strokes, while the fiber in acerola fruit could aid in heart disease prevention. Notably, fiber intake can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease when daily consumption targets are met.

Acerola is a cherry-like fruit that grows in warm, tropical environments such as Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Also known as a Barbados cherry, the fruit grows on evergreen shrubs and changes from green to orange or red when ripe. In most cases, the fruit is very tart and acidic.