Mangosteen Research

Next to the Acai Berry, Mangosteen has been a huge focus of research in recent years for it's high levels of antioxidants.

In fact, just before the Acai Berry was first pushed on the US market in the year 2005, it seemed that many health products featured Mangsteen primarily in the same role that they do Acai today.

So we felt it prudent to dig up some research on Mangosteen's antioxidant capacity, and compare it to the Acai berry for you.

Appearances:

Although on the outside, both the Acai and Mangosteen fruits look like big purple berries with green leaves, they are in fact very different on the inside. The center of the Acai is a hard seed that cannot be eaten, while the Mangosteen's center is a pulpy, white flesh, resembling marshmallow, that is the only edible part of the fruit.

Environment/Region:

The Acai Berry is only found in South America, in the hottest rainforest on Earth. It is very fragile and cannot be grown anywhere else and still maintain it's nutrients.

Meanwhile, the Mangosteen is native to many countries and a few climates from India to Singapore, ranging all over southeast Asia. Although it is a palm fruit, it does not appear to need the intense UV rays and extreme conditions that the Acai berry thrives in.

Antioxidant capacity:

Although hotly contested by dietary products, an ORAC assay comparison shows a clear edge for Acai berries over Mangosteen. It is important to note, however, that while the primary antioxidant in Acai is the anthocyanin, Mangosteen's largest antioxidant is a xanthone, which has shown fewer benefits to the human body than do anthocyanins.

Additionally, there have been reports of actual cases of harm caused by taking too much xanthone, which can result in severe acidosis.