Canadian Scientists Research Acai Berry To Prevent COVID-19

JAKARTA - Monday, August 31, a group of scientists researched acai berry as a food to prevent symptoms of COVID-19.

Reporting from the Straits Times, Tuesday, September 1, Michael Farkouh and Ana Andreazza, scientists from the University of Toronto studied the effect of berries on inflammation for 5 years. They find out how berries can fight COVID-19.

"This is a long process. But acai berry is cheap and very accessible for everyone so it's safe and worth a try, ”said Dr. Farkouh told AFP.

Previously, research found acai berry can inhibit inflammation which doctors believe can prevent the inflammatory process from getting worse caused by the corona virus.

The acai berry is one of the fruits in the superfood category. Therefore, this fruit has many advantages for the body such as losing weight and high cholesterol because it contains antioxidants and fiber.

To conduct their research, they enrolled 580 positive COVID-19 patients in Canada and Brazil, the countries where berries are grown.

Some patients take the extract dose while the rest receive it in pill form.

With this experiment, the researchers hoped the acai berry would be able to prevent the worst symptoms usually associated with death.

The acai berry extract used targets the NLRP3 pathway, which is a pathway similar to that of the corona virus when it enters the body. When the acai berry extract enters, the body can respond to fight infection and stress.

It is hoped that the 30-day study will show results by the end of 2020.