Health Benefits Of Mangosteen
Boosts The Immune System
Current data suggests mangosteen boosts the immune system as a result of its fiber, vitamin, and antioxidant content. The fruit contains nine percent of an adult's recommended daily intake of vitamin C, one of the key vitamins associated with improved immune function. Vitamin C provides support to the immune system by protecting the integrity of the body's cells and by stimulating the production of white blood cells to combat infections. In fact, the cells within the body's immune system have specialized receptors that accept and store vitamin C, releasing it into cells as needed. Vitamin C helps T cells (natural killer cells) find and destroy foreign bodies and infections more easily, and the vitamin also helps neutrophils (bacteria-fighting cells) to eliminate bacterial infections from the body.
Numerous studies have shown vitamin C is effective in the prevention of respiratory infections such as the common cold. A small study of twenty-six patients compared the effects of one thousand milligrams of daily vitamin C supplements with a placebo. The results indicated eighty-five percent of those in the placebo group contracted the common cold, but those who had taken the vitamin C contracted the common cold at a rate of only forty-seven percent. Among patients in the vitamin C group who did get a cold, the length of their illness was fifty-nine percent shorter than that of the placebo group. In conjunction with other foods and supplements, mangosteen can be an important dietary source of vitamin C, especially for patients who do not enjoy other fruits.
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May Help Cognitive Function
Although more research is needed, early studies conducted on animals suggest mangosteen extract may help cognitive function. For example, an eight-month study of mice published in 2014 investigated the use of mangosteen pericarp supplements. At the end of the study, the mice treated with the supplements displayed significant reductions in cognitive impairment associated with aging, and they also had reduced levels of tau and amyloid-beta, two substances associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. The mice in the study also had an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor; this substance supports the function and growth of neurons, and it is believed to have a protective effect against dementia.
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