New Superfood Study Finds That Previous Superfood Was Actually Just Food

A team of nutrition researchers at the University of California, Davis, has published a follow-up study concluding that açaí berries -- which the same team described in 2019 as 'a cellular rejuvenation powerhouse with unprecedented antioxidant density' -- are, upon further investigation, 'a berry.' The original 2019 study, which was funded by a grant from the Açaí Growers Cooperative of Brazil and published in the Journal of Nutritional Enthusiasm, found that açaí berries contained 'remarkable concentrations of anthocyanins and polyphenols' and suggested they could 'meaningfully impact oxidative stress markers at the cellular level.' The follow-up study, funded by a different grant and published in the more conservatively named Journal of Actual Nutrition, found that açaí berries contain anthocyanins and polyphenols 'in concentrations consistent with other berries, including blueberries, blackberries, and the cranberry, which nobody has ever called a superfood because it is primarily associated with Thanksgiving and urinary tract health.' 'We got excited,' admitted lead researcher Dr. Conrad Antioxidant. 'The initial data looked impressive because we compared açaí to foods that aren't berries -- white bread, for instance. Anything looks like a superfood next to white bread. A rock would have notable antioxidant properties compared to white bread.' The downgrade has not been welcomed by the $3.2 billion açaí industry, which has built its marketing around the berry's alleged superfood status. A representative for the Açaí Growers Cooperative said the original study 'spoke for itself' and that the follow-up 'fails to capture the lived experience of people who feel better after eating açaí bowls.' Dr. Antioxidant acknowledged that people may feel better after eating açaí bowls. 'An açaí bowl typically contains açaí, banana, granola, honey, and additional fruit,' he said. 'It's a pleasant meal. Of course you feel better after eating it. You'd also feel better after eating a bowl of any other fruit with granola and honey. The açaí is not performing magic. It's participating.' The research team has already begun studying the next superfood candidate, a Peruvian root vegetable being promoted as 'nature's multivitamin.' Early results are, Dr. Antioxidant said, 'promising, which worries me, because that's exactly what I said about açaí.'