Do acai berries and acai juice have any side effects?

As a completely natural superfood, acai is completely free of the harmful side effects found in many supplements, diet pills, and other weight loss products. Still, here are a few things you should be aware of:

Decreased appetite

Many people report a decrease in appetite from consuming acai. Although this side effect is actually viewed as a benefit by some (especially people trying to lose weight), it is a reaction derived from the acai berry so it deserves mention here.

Acai & medications

People on medication (like blood pressure medication for instance) are told not to mix it with anything that can interfere with how it works. This is good advice and should be followed carefully. Fortunately, acai is a natural food and will not cause any adverse reactions to medications.

Make sure you’re getting pure acai berry!

While acai itself is completely natural and wholly beneficial, you should be aware of acai products that are little more than diet pills disguised as acai.

Many weight loss supplements and diet pills are packed with man-made chemicals and other nasty things. Since they aren’t natural, these pills come with a whole host of side effects including: gas, bloating, diarrhea, oily discharge (yuck!), and even heart problems.

Stay away from these. Make sure you’re getting all natural acai fruit or acai juice. A quality, natural acai product will give you all of the health and weight loss benefits and help you avoid any irritating or harmful side effects.

Pollen allergy

If you have pollen allergies or have a known hypersensitivity to acai or similar berries, you may want to avoid this fruit. When eaten in moderate amounts, though, acai is likely safe.

The signs and symptoms of pollen allergy are familiar to many

• Sneezing, the most common, may be accompanied by a runny or clogged nose
• Itching eyes, nose, and throat
• Allergic shiners (dark circles under the eyes caused by restricted blood flow near the sinuses)
• The "allergic salute" (in a child, persistent upward rubbing of the nose that causes a crease mark on the nose)
• Watering eyes
• Conjunctivitis (an inflammation of the membrane that lines the eyelids, causing red-rimmed eyes).

In people who are not allergic to pollen, the mucus in the nasal passages simply moves these foreign particles to the throat, where they are swallowed or coughed out. But something different happens to a pollen-sensitive person.