FAQ/MAQUI
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Q : What is maqui?
A: Maqui is a deep purple berry found in Chile and Argentina. It grows on a bush and is harvested every year during the harvest months of January – March which are the summer months in Chile/Argentina. Maqui berry has been used by the Mapuche Indians in the Patagonia for more than 400 years in ceremonial and medicinal attributes.
Q: What make maqui special?
A: Maqui is one of most antioxidant rich superfruits in the world. It has been recently tested by us and others to contain high levels of anthocyanins which give it the deep dark purple color. Anthocyanins have been reported by the scientific research community to produce anti-inflammatory properties and protect our bodies at the cellular level against oxidation and oxidative stress. *Oxidative stress has been implicated in many diseases such as atherosclerosis, Pakinsons disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, Alzheimers disease, fragile x syndrome and chronic fatique syndrome.
Q: What are the antioxidant characteristics of Patagonia Maqui Premium Maqui Products?
A: Patagonia Maqui is a rich natural source of antioxidants. The maqui fruit contains a variety of antioxidant compounds that can be found in the skins, pulp and seeds. These include anthocyanins, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins.
Q: Why is Patagonia Maqui superior to other maqui products?
A: Patagonia Maqui is made from maqui berries found in the Patagonia region of Chile. Research demonstrates that products that grow in severe environments have higher antioxidant levels than the same species grown in more moderate environments; and that organically grown plants may have higher antioxidant levels than their conventionally grown counterparts.
Q: How does Patagonia Maqui demonstrate its antioxidant capacity?
Patagonia Maqui products are among the first premium botanical ingredients to measure antioxidant protection with Total ORACFN, the next-generation antioxidant testing standard from Brunswick Labs.
Q: What is Total ORACFN and why is it important?
A: Total ORACFN is a new, patent-pending test from Brunswick Labs, the leader in antioxidant testing. It measures the antioxidant power of a product against five radicals that cause damage in humans. There are five major radicals causing oxidative damage in the human body – these are hydroxyl, peroxyl, peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen, and superoxide anion.
Q: What is Patagonia Maqui’s Total ORACFN value?
Patagonia Maqui has a Total ORACFN value of over 6,000 per gram.
Q: What does this tell us about Patagonia Maqui’s antioxidant capacity?
A: Patagonia Maqui demonstrates exceptional broad-spectrum antioxidant benefits. Broad-spectrum antioxidant protection is very important because each of the 5 radicals behaves differently, like viruses, bacteria, or other biological pests.
Q: Anything else?
A: Patagonia Maqui provides strong protection against hydroxyl and superoxide anion. Hydroxyl is an extremely dangerous radical because it is so unstable and our natural (endogenous) antioxidant defenses do not work against it. Superoxide anion is a multiple threat because it begins a cascade that results in other radicals, like hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide.
Q: How does Patagonia Maqui compare to other products?
A: Based on Total ORAC results, Patagonia Maqui delivers significantly more antioxidant protection than freeze-dried acai powder against each of the 5 radicals. In fact, Patagonia Maqui actually outperforms a variety of powerful antioxidants such as cocoa powder, vitamin C, and grape seed extract against certain radicals.
Q: Will maqui products including juices and pills make me lose weight?
A: The marketing of weight loss products in the consumer world is a billion dollar industry and new products are proclaimed everyday to help you lose weight including the maqui berry. Antioxidants in general are reported to assist in weight loss, but at this point in time there are no known scientific studies reporting clinical evidence that the maqui berry alone will help you lose weight. Combined with other known thermogenic botanicals is the only substantiated way to lose weight with maqui berry products.
Q: Does Patagonia Premium Maqui deliver any other protective benefits?
A: Indeed it does. Patagonia Premium Maqui has been proven by our company in coordination with Brunswick Labs to inhibit glycation. Glycation is the process by which proteins are damaged and form harmful advanced glycation endproducts (AGE’s). By inhibiting glycation, Patagonia Premium Maqui helps prevent the formation of the dangerous AGE’s.
*Not all the science has come back on the maqui as it is just now becoming a popular superfruit. As the popularity of the maqui continues, more and more research will go into the study of this antioxidant rich maqui berry.
Q: How is glycation inhibition measured?
A: Glycation inhibition uses a measurement standard called iC50, which demonstrates the amount of a product necessary to inhibit glycation by 50%. The amount of product is described as a ratio, or concentration , of milligrams (mg) per milliliter (ml), or mg/ml.
Q: How does Patagonia Premium Maqui perform for glycation inhibition?
A: At 8.9 mg/ml iC50, Patagonia Premium Maqui demonstrates significant inhibition for a natural product. It outperforms other referenced standards, such as cranberry, mangosteen and coffee fruit powders by atleast 5 times. See chart below.
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