The Marketing Machine

Here is how the superfood cycle works:

• A study finds a compound in a food has some benefit in a lab setting or in animals
• Marketing teams extrapolate this into "this food prevents cancer" or "this food fights aging"
• Media runs breathless headlines without mentioning that the study used concentrated extracts at doses impossible to achieve through normal eating
• Prices spike, people buy in, and the cycle repeats with the next exotic ingredient

Acai berries, goji berries, turmeric, matcha, spirulina, and wheatgrass have all followed this exact pattern. Each contains beneficial compounds. None are miraculous.