Acai berry and Maqui berry are the two latest ‘headline’superfoods that havecome out ofSouth America inlately. Acai berrieshave been quite a sensation, inseveral senses of the word, with amassive number ofhealth supplements nowproclaiming to tap into thehealth benefits of the berry. But the Maqui berry has made a strong impact itselfin recent times – and recentstudies points to health benefits thatlook like more than holding their ownvs theAcai.
The question on many people’s lips is now – which is better?
Acai Berry vs Maqui Berry
It is very important that youmake sure yourmind is switched on whencomparingthesetwo berries.Both makestronghealth claims,most of which have beenverified byresearch studies. But there has beenscantscientific testing of side by side results so weonly canextrapolate comparisons.
Because of this lack of scientific comparison it isvital that we only deal infacts –facts that have beenresearched andauthenticated by thewider scientific community. It is these results(notthe unsubstantiated claims) that we shall be comparing.
ORAC Scoring
The Acai berry and the Maqui berry can both boastlarge amounts of antioxidants. The accepted way tomeasure the antioxidant level of foods is to use the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) count. In this case the higher the ORAC count the more antioxidant a food has.
The ORAC table
- Maqui Berry 820
- Acai Berry 160-300
- Blueberry 61
- Raspberry 21
- Grapes 14
This shows us that thelevels of antioxidant inMaquiexceed thosein the Acai berry. This isvitalwhen it comes to health benefits.
This isbecausehaving ahighlevel of antioxidants is one of themost basic factors making up a ’superfood’. Several of theclaims thatthese two berriesmake as toboosting health levelscome from theamounts of antioxidants that they are both able toshow off. Antioxidants are prequisite to ourwell being inmany vital ways.
- They help fight cancer.
- They have anti-ageing capabilities.
- Theybuild-up the immune system.
- Improves our energy levels.
andfar morebesides. As the Maqui hassomewhere in the region of 3 to 4 times thequantities of antioxidants of the Acai it means that itcanclaimmore stronger benefits with regards it’s position as ahealth supplement.
Nutritional Benefits
There areextremely highlevels of vitamins and nutrients inboth the Acai and the Maqui berries. However thereisn’t asimpleoverall scoringmethod tocount such factors (unfortunately) as there is with the antioxidants.
What has becomenoted is that the farlargernumber of nutrients and vitamins in the Acai than in the Maquishows that it is more ‘powerful’ inthis aspects of being a health product.
This points to
- 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.