Research review
Does acai help with inflammation? What the research does and doesn't show
Two placebo-controlled trials found acai lowered specific oxidative-stress and inflammation markers in blood after weeks of daily use. No trial tested acai in arthritis or gout; the one trial that measured uric acid found no change.
The evidence doesn't support acai as a treatment for arthritis, gout or any other inflammatory condition. A few small, placebo-controlled trials found lower levels of specific oxidative-stress and inflammation markers in blood after weeks of daily acai, but none tested acai against a diagnosed inflammatory condition or symptom.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support acai as a treatment for arthritis, gout, or any other diagnosed inflammatory or autoimmune condition — no trial has tested acai in people with one of those diagnoses. It doesn't support acai lowering uric acid, the marker tied to gout specifically: the one trial that measured it found no significant change after a single acute dose. And it doesn't support acai in place of an anti-inflammatory medication or a doctor's treatment plan for a diagnosed condition.
What the trials found
A 2018 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial gave 37 adults with metabolic syndrome an acai beverage or placebo, 650 mL/day, for 12 weeks. Plasma interferon gamma and urinary 8-isoprostane, an oxidative-stress marker, were significantly lower in the acai group than placebo (p=0.0141 and p=0.0099). The authors called the finding a weak indication and noted no change in glucose or lipid markers.
A 2020 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial gave 69 overweight adults with abnormal cholesterol 200 g/day of acai pulp or placebo, added to a reduced-calorie diet, for 60 days. 8-isoprostane and interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory marker, were significantly lower in the acai group than placebo (p=0.037 and p=0.042). Cholesterol and blood glucose showed no change in either group.
An acute, randomized, controlled, crossover trial gave 23 healthy overweight men a single acai smoothie (694 mg total phenolics) or a matched control smoothie alongside a high-fat breakfast. The acai smoothie produced a greater increase in flow-mediated dilation, a measure of vascular function, at 2 and 6 hours (p=0.001, p<0.001), and a lower area-under-curve for an oxidative-stress marker, versus control. Blood pressure and glucose showed no significant change.
A 2008 acute crossover trial in 12 healthy adults, comparing acai pulp or juice against applesauce and a control beverage, found no significant change in plasma uric acid — the trial most directly relevant to a gout-specific question, and it found nothing.
A 2006 laboratory analysis of freeze-dried acai pulp found it inhibited the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes and reduced reactive-oxygen-species output in isolated human white blood cells in a cell-culture dish — a chemical and cell-based result, not a measurement in a living person.
Across the placebo-controlled trials, acai lowered blood markers tied to oxidative stress and one inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) after weeks of daily use — a real signal in blood chemistry. But a change in a blood marker isn't the same as a measured change in joint pain, swelling, or a diagnosed inflammatory condition, none of which any trial tracked.
Questions people ask
Is acai good for inflammation?
Placebo-controlled trials found acai lowered a couple of specific blood markers linked to inflammation and oxidative stress after weeks of daily use. No trial measured a symptom like joint pain or swelling, and none tested a diagnosed inflammatory condition.
Does acai help with gout?
The one trial that measured uric acid, the marker tied to gout, found no significant change after a single dose. No trial has tested acai in people with gout specifically.
Does acai help with arthritis?
No trial has tested acai in people with arthritis or any other diagnosed joint condition.
Can I take acai alongside an anti-inflammatory medication?
No interaction trial exists for acai and any anti-inflammatory medication. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement if you take one regularly.
When to talk to a doctor
Ongoing joint pain, swelling, gout flares, or a diagnosed inflammatory or autoimmune condition are reasons to talk to a doctor. Acai is not a treatment for any of those, and nothing above supports using it as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or treatment plan. If you take a medication for an inflammatory condition, ask your doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement.
Sources
- Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) beverage consumption improves biomarkers for inflammation but not glucose- or lipid-metabolism in individuals with metabolic syndrome in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial A 2018 placebo-controlled trial in people with metabolic syndrome found no change in glucose or lipid markers after 12 weeks of an acai beverage, but did find lower levels of two inflammation/oxidative-stress markers compared with placebo.
- Effects of a hypoenergetic diet associated with açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp consumption on antioxidant status, oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in overweight, dyslipidemic individuals A 2020 placebo-controlled trial in overweight adults with abnormal cholesterol found lower oxidative-stress and IL-6 markers after 60 days of acai pulp added to a reduced-calorie diet, but no change in cholesterol, triglycerides or blood glucose in either group.
- Consumption of a flavonoid-rich açai meal is associated with acute improvements in vascular function and a reduction in total oxidative status in healthy overweight men A 2016 acute trial in overweight men found an acai smoothie improved a measure of vascular function and lowered an oxidative-stress marker compared with a matched control smoothie, but didn't measure body weight, fat mass or any weight-related outcome.
- Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers A 2008 acute human trial found acai pulp and juice anthocyanins are absorbed into the blood, peaking around 2 hours, and raised plasma antioxidant capacity; urine antioxidant capacity and uric acid didn't change.
- Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai) A 2006 lab analysis found acai pulp powder had very high antioxidant activity in chemical and cell-based assays, not a result measured in people.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.