In this acute study in overweight men, açai consumption was associated with improvements in vascular function, which may lower the risk of a cardiovascular event. Future intervention studies, perhaps with a chronic design, in wider populations and with other biomarkers of disease risk are needed to fully elucidate the benefits of açai to health. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02292329.

A considerable proportion of dietary plant-polyphenols reach the colon intact; determining the effects of these compounds on colon-health is of interest. We hypothesise that both fibre and plant polyphenols present in açai (Euterpe oleracea) provide prebiotic and anti-genotoxic benefits in the colon. We investigated this hypothesis using a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of açai pulp, and a subsequent pH-controlled, anaerobic, batch-culture fermentation model reflective of the distal region of the human large intestine. Following in vitro digestion, 49.8% of the total initial polyphenols were available. In mixed-culture fermentations with faecal inoculate, the digested açai pulp precipitated reductions in the numbers of both the Bacteroides-Prevotella spp. and the Clostridium-histolyticum groups, and increased the short-chain fatty acids produced compared to the negative control. The samples retained significant anti-oxidant and anti-genotoxic potential through digestion and fermentation. Dietary intervention studies are needed to prove that consuming açai is beneficial to gut health.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to be a pandemic in March 2020 due to growing case notification rates worldwide. This study was designed to investigate nutritional habits and lifestyle changes among people living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the COVID-19 lockdown. A cross-sectional study of 208 adults aged 18 to 56 years living in the KSA was conducted between March and May 2020. Participants were identified and invited to complete an online survey. Google Docs forms were used by participants to self-report their nutritional habits, lifestyles, and physical activity levels during the lockdown. Of the 208 participants, 88.9% were female. More than half of the participants (58.1%) reported an increase in their food consumption during the lockdown, which included a higher intake of fast food (47.1%), sweets (48.5%), and fruits and vegetables (49%). 30.8% of participants reported an increase in body weight during the lockdown, while 32.2% reported a decrease. Staying at home or working from home was associated with decreased levels of physical activity in 39% of participants. This study provides the first data on changes in nutritional habits and lifestyles during the COVID-19 quarantine. Our findings suggest that people should decrease their intake of foods that are high in fat and sugar and increase their physical activity levels to maintain a healthy lifestyle.