Maqui Berry V Acai Berry
These are two of the latest ‘headline’superfoods that havecome out ofSouth America inrecent times. Acai berrieshave been quite a sensation, inall senses of the word, with alarge number ofhealth supplements nowclaiming to tap into thehealth benefits of the berry. But the Maqui berry has made a strong impact itselflately – and recentstudies points to health benefits thatcan more than hold their ownagainst theAcai berry.
The question on many people’s lips is now – which is better?
Acai Berry vs Maqui Berry
It is vital that youmake sure that yourbrain is working whenyou comparethetwo berries.Either are able to makeimportantdietary claims,most of which have beenverified byscientific research. But there has beennoscientific testing of side by side results so weonly canmake an educated guess in comparisons.
Because of this lack of scientific comparison it isvery important that we only deal infacts –facts that have beenstudied andauthenticated by thewider scientific community. It is these results(and notthe unsubstantiated claims) that we shall be comparing.
ORAC Scoring
The Acai berry and the Maqui berry can both boasthigh contents of antioxidants. The accepted way tomeasure the antioxidant level of foods is to use the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) count. In this instance the greater the ORAC score the more antioxidant the food has.
The ORAC table
- Maqui Berry 820
- Acai 160-300
- Blueberry 61
- Raspberry 21
- Grapes 14
This indicates that thelevels of antioxidant inthe Maqui berryexceed thosein the Acai berry. This isimportantwhen it comes to health benefits.
This isascontaining alargeamount of antioxidants is one of themost basic factors composing a ‘superfood’. Several of thehealth claims thatthese two berriespromise as toincreasing health levelsarise from thelevels of antioxidants that they are both able toflaunt. Antioxidants are prequisite to ourhealth inmany vital ways.
- They help fight cancer.
- They have an anti-ageing capacity.
- Theyboost the immune system.
- Magnifys our energy levels.
andfar moreas well. As the Maqui Berry hasabout 3 to 4 times thelevels of antioxidants of the Acai it means that itcanboastmuch more stronger benefits with regards it’s role as ahealth supplement.
Acai and Maqui Berry Nutritional Benefits
There arevery highamounts of vitamins and nutrients inboth the Acai and the Maqui berries. However thereisn’t aeasyumbrella scoringmethod tomeasure such factors (unfortunately) as there is with the antioxidants.
What has becomeunderstood is that the fargreaternumber of nutrients and vitamins in the Acai than in the Maquipoints to it is more ‘powerful’ inthe specifics of being a health product.
This means that
- The Acai gives more direct energy (though indirect energy from antioxidants also happens)
- Poor diets, or restricted diets, are boosted significantly by the Acai
- Growing your body (such as building muscle) is easier with the enhanced nutritional properties of the Acai.
One unique aspect of the Acai is that is contains Omega 3. Omega 3 is vital for our health but is only found in fish and nuts – and the Acai berry.
Which Berry is Best?
With that indepth look which of the two berries is the best when it comes to our health?
The answer is very subjective as it is entirely based around what you want your health supplement to be doing. The Maqui berry could be said to be more powerful if you are able to get all your vitamins and nutrients from other sources as the health boost from the far higher antioxidant levels is significant.
However if you want a health supplement that is able to deliver everything, antioxidant benefits and nutritional/vitamin boosts then you are best of looking at the Acai berry.
So what it eventually comes down to is your own preferences and lifestyle. Both berries work as a health supplement, but can give you different results.
