Mangosteen Health Benefits

Mangosteen is a type of unique tropical fruit that originates from southeast Asia. It has been prized for centuries, both in its native countries and in the West, despite the difficulty of transporting it before the advent of modern technology. Mangosteen has been used both as a delicious food and as a source of traditional medicine, and was once brought all the way around the world so that it could be sampled by Queen Victoria. Its health benefits were first written about as long ago as the 18th century. Now, scientific study of mangosteen fruit shows that these benefits aren't just mythical.

The primary active components of the mangosteen fruit are called xanthones. Xanthones are a recently discovered class of polyphenolic compounds that are biologically active and structurally similar to bioflavanoids. These compounds occur only rarely in nature, with the majority being found in only two families of plants. Two hundred naturally occurring xanthones have so far been identified. Around forty of them have been discovered in the mangosteen fruit.

Xanthones and their derivatives have been shown to have several benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties, anti-allergic, and anti convulsant abilities. There are also other components of the mangosteen that have medicinal qualities, including polysaccharides, sterols, proanthocyanidins and catechins. These are less nutritionally important and biologically active than xanthones, but are still a major part of providing the fruit with its medicinal benefits, since many of them act as antioxidants.

Mangosteen fruit has been discovered to contain a number of these strong antioxidants. These are compounds that prevent or reduct oxidation and reactions that are promoted by peroxides and oxygen. Oxidation in the body can produce free radicals, which begin chain reactions, causing cell damage. This type of cell damage has been linked to premature aging and a number of diseases. Antioxidants stop these chain reactions because they remove the free radicals. Low levels of antioxidants in the body causes what is called oxidative stress, which has been associated with many diseases. The use of antioxidants has been intensively studied in recent years, particularly in treatments of neurodegenerative disease and strokes.

Strangely enough, the portion of the mangosteen fruit that we would normally consider edible has very few nutrients. It's the exocarp, or rind of the mangosteen that provides the greatest benefit. This rind is strongly astringent, containing tannins and other chemicals intended to keep insects away from the fruit. However, it's the healthiest portion of the mangosteen. Because of the unpleasant taste that comes with processing the mangosteen skin along with the fruit, most mangosteen juices are actually blends. They contain other strongly antioxidant fruits to improve the health benefits and taste of the mangosteen juice.

If you're looking at purchasing mangosteen products for health purposes, and not just taste, be sure you buy ones that include the processed whole fruit. The overall nutrient profile of the edible fruit portion of mangosteen is surprisingly devoid of nutrients, despite its much praised taste. Therefore, it's necessary to include the dark-colored, less edible exocarp to receive the health benefits.

As one of the most concentrated sources of phytonutrients found in the world, mangosteen has recently gotten a lot of press. Part of its new popularity is due tot he fact that importation restrictions on this fruit to the United States have recently been loosened. Importation of irradiated mangosteen fruit has recently been permitted. In the past, importing this fruit has been difficult, because it can harbor foreign pests that are bad for local environments. Irradiation of the fruit destroys these pests.

However, there is some concern that irradiation will also destroy the beneficial compounds in the mangosteen. Dried and frozen mangosteen fruit is also available, and does not have these worries, but usually does not include the mangosteen rind. Mangosteen is grown in Asia, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and many other locations around the world. However, because of importation rules, it remains quite expensive.

If you encounter low-priced mangosteen juice or other products, the discount is probably because there is a very low percentage of mangosteen in the product.

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