Mangosteen is typically advertised and marketed as part of an emerging category of novel
functional foods sometimes called "
superfruits"presumed to have a combination of 1) appealing subjective characteristics, such as taste, fragrance and visual qualities, 2)
nutrient richness, 3)
antioxidant strength and 4) potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases.
Among six exotic fruits, however, mangosteen was ranked lowest overall for these qualities.
The
aril is the flavorful part of the fruit but when analyzed specifically for its nutrient content the mangosteen
aril only meets the first criterion above, as its overall nutrient profile is absent of important content,it contains no
pigmentation (correspondingly, no antioxidant phytochemicals in significant concentration) and there is no scientific evidence of aril constituents having any health properties.
Purée or juice from arils combined with
exocarp phenolic extracts produces juice having purple color and
astringency like the exocarp
pigments, including
xanthones under study for potential anti-cancer effects on mouse
mammary tissue
in vitro. As xanthone research is at an early stage of basic research, no conclusions about possible health benefits for humans are warranted presently.
However, a possible adverse effect may occur from chronic consumption of mangosteen juice containing xanthones. A 2008 medical
case report described a patient with severe
acidosis possibly attributable to a year of daily use (to lose weight, dose not described) of mangosteen juice infused with
xanthones, as occurs in the manufacture of many commercial mangosteen juices. The authors proposed that chronic exposure to alpha-
mangostin, a xanthone, could be toxic to
mitochondrial function, leading to impairment of
cellular respiration and production of
lactic acidosis
This is from Wikipedia
Stephanie