The visually appealing mangosteen is a tropical fruit that is known for it’s sweet and tangy taste. While it is often appreciated for it’s looks and taste, mangosteen is also a nutritious fruit that has a lot of benefits to offer.
Nutrition Facts
Effects on Immunity
The table above doesn’t show any big numbers, like those you would see in mango or papaya. There is a decent amount of Vitamin C, the nutrient responsible for building up our body’s health. However, just like the Eggplant, what mangosteen seemingly lacks in vitamins, it makes up for by being very high in antioxidants.
Antioxidant Profile
Xanthone, L-Carnitine, Folate, Vitamin C, Tannins and other antioxidant substances were measured in high levels in mangosteen pulp, and even higher in the skin. Antioxidants support immune function (more details) and general health by removing free radicals, external pollutants that damage our body’s cells. Aside from that quality each of these antioxidants also play important roles in your body.
Mangosteen is the food richest in Xanthone, an antioxidant known for it’s anti-viral qualities. In research done on this substance and COVID, it was found that xanthone is exceptionally good at binding to COVID protease, inhibiting the virus’ ability to reproduce. 1
Folates, a nutrient your body needs for building all cells including those of the immune system is present in the fruit, and it also contains tannin, which is specially suited for reducing free radicals and also has metal-chelating qualities. Finally L-Carnitine is associated 2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18083121/3 with higher antibody levels.
COVID RESISTANCE: Vitamin C is essential for adaptive immunity which will protect you from variants of the virus. Recent research has shown that Antioxidants 4https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2050312121991246[/efn_note] are key in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation which lead to progression to severe COVID symptoms. Xanthone in particular is being researched in the context of COVID as you can see above.
Choose Organic
Mangosteen is a fairly hardy tree, however conventional farmers still choose to spray their fruits with pesticides, in an attempt to reduce loss of produce. It can sometimes be difficult to verify whether they are organic or not, especially if they have been imported from other parts of the country, but it never hurts to ask.