What Really Is The “Dr Oz-Acai Berry” Connection?
Many sites promoting acai supplements are riding on a supposed Dr. Oz-acai berry supplement endorsement. For those who may be wondering who Dr. Mehmet Oz is, he is a cardiothoracic surgeon and author. He has become well known for his frequent visits on the Oprah Winfrey show discussing various health issues including alternative medicine. With the popularity of Oprah and the talk show itself, it’s a small wonder that acai promoters are eager to make the connection between acai berry, Oprah, and Dr. Oz.
Checking out the Oprah site, there is actually a feature on what Dr. Oz has mentioned on the show regarding acai. The write-up is entitled, “Dr. Oz’s Anti-Aging Checklist,” where he mentioned the foods that he thinks would best fight the aging process. He emphasizes the need for eating antioxidant-rich foods including sweet potatoes, broccoli, and tomatoes.
And then the article goes on to mention that there is a new addition to the list of foods packed with antioxidants as suggested by Dr. Oz – and acai berry is the name of this fruit. It is described as “a small fruit from South American rainforests that is often found in the United States in juice.” The article quotes Dr. Oz as saying, “It has twice the antioxidant content as a blueberry, so it’s a wonderful alternative,” and that “(Acai) is just sort of breaking through.” You can read the article yourself posted on Oprah.com.
There was never a mention of a particular acai berry supplement that he endorses. In fact, the article wasn’t about supplements at all. It was strictly about how antioxidants can help in the anti-aging process and what foods Dr. Oz recommends because of their high antioxidant content. Acai berry happens to be packed with antioxidants so Dr. Oz simply added it to his list of foods to include in your diet.
To help clear the issue once and for all, Oprah.com has this disclaimer published on the site:
“Consumers should be aware that neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr. Oz are associated with nor do they endorse any acai berry product, company or online solicitation of such products, including MonaVie juice products. Attorneys for Harpo are pursuing companies that claim such an affiliation.”
You can see the disclaimer yourself at Oprah.com.
Acai berry supplements come in a variety of forms including frozen pulp, freeze dried powder, juice, and in capsules. Do your homework and find out which form is best for you. Once you do that, then make sure the product contains 100% pure organic acai berry like those products we recommend in our Perfect Acai review and Acai Roots review.
While implied celebrity endorsements can easily sway us toward one product, don’t forget that these are just one of the convenient marketing tools that can be easily used by any company wanting to make a quick sale. I for one would never go with a product sold by a company that makes misleading claims that there is some kind of “Dr. Oz – acai berry” supplement endorsement!
The image of Dr. Oz is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License