Is Xango Right For You?

Before you join or buy Xango juice, you should read the following which was extracted and compiled from Wikipedia…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XanGo

In October 2008 the company said that it operated in 24 countries and had more than 1 million independent distributors.

XanGo Juice is a blend of mangosteen aril and pericarp purée with juice concentrates of eight other fruits: apple, pear (juice and purée), grape, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and cherry.

Other ingredients include citric acid, natural flavor, pectin, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate.

The Associated Press commissioned the Linus Pauling Institute to measure the in vitro antioxidant strength of XanGo juice against retail fruit juices. The antioxidant strength of XanGo measured slightly higher than cranberry juice but lower than black cherry and less than half the value for blueberry juice. However, the value of in vitro analysis of antioxidant strength is in question, as there is no current evidence that antioxidant phytochemicals present in XanGo or other fruit juices actually have functions inside the human body.

In 2002, XanGo founders Aaron R. Garrity, Gordon A. Morton, and Joseph C. Morton (doing business as DBC, LLC) applied for a United States patent (#6730333) for Xango juice; however the application was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 21, 2005.

Marketing materials used to promote mangosteen juice claim more than 20 human health benefits, including “anti-inflammatory,” “anti-microbial,” “anti-fungal,” “anti-viral,” “anti-cancer,” “anti-ulcer,” “anti-hepatotoxic,” “anti-rhinoviral,” and “anti-allergic” effects.

Promotional literature for the product cites antioxidants from the inedible rind of the fruit as providing health benefits. None of these claims, however, has scientific proof established by peer-reviewed research and human clinical trials, as discussed below.

The American Cancer Society profile of mangosteen juice states there is no reliable evidence that mangosteen juice, puree, or bark is effective as a treatment for cancer in humans.

In 2007, the Mayo Clinic stated there was laboratory evidence that mangosteen xanthones had anti-inflammatory activity, but there was no evidence demonstrating such anti-inflammatory effects in humans.

On September 20, 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to XanGo LLC International in response to the company’s promotion of Xango juice as a drug, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)], by claiming that it could treat and/or cure various diseases.

The agency’s letter further warned that Xango juice had not been properly tested for safety and efficacy, and as a proposed new drug it could not be legally sold in the US without prior approval of the FDA, and that the company could face enforcement action including seizure and/or injunction of products or suspension of business. Under FDA drug labeling rules, XanGo LLC, as manufacturer, is responsible for satisfying scientific criteria to make health claims on its product labels and all marketing materials. As of September 2008, the case remains open.

The Mayo Clinic said in October 2005 that “there are no published clinical trials showing evidence that either the fruit or its juice — marketed under the name XanGo juice — is an effective treatment for arthritis, cancer or any other disorder in humans.”

In February 2006, the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Newsletter, sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley, said that “Mangosteen marketers make farfetched and unsubstantiated claims for their products.” The newsletter notes that “there are no clinical trials, and what happens in a test tube or animal may not occur in a human.

Any reported benefits in humans have been anecdotal. No one even knows if the processed fruit juice and capsules retain the potentially beneficial compounds. What’s more, the juice is typically a mix of fruit juices — with an undisclosed amount of mangosteen in it.”

Dr. Ralph Moss, author of several books and newsletters on cancer research, has said of mangosteen juice:

“In my opinion, what we have here is simply an overpriced fruit drink. Fruit drinks are often healthful beverages. But the only reason I can see that the promoters of mangosteen can get away with charging $37 for this product is that they are playing on patients’ hopes and fears in a cynical way. Without the health claims, open or implied, the product could only be sold for at most $5 or $6 (which, for example, is the cost of antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice).”

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 (brand not described) infused with xanthones, as occurs in the manufacture of XanGo juice. 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.

Dr. Ralph Moss, author of several books and newsletters on cancer research, has said of mangosteen juice:

“In my opinion, what we have here is simply an overpriced fruit drink. Fruit drinks are often healthful beverages. But the only reason I can see that the promoters of mangosteen can get away with charging $37 for this product is that they are playing on patients’ hopes and fears in a cynical way. Without the health claims, open or implied, the product could only be sold for at most $5 or $6 (which, for example, is the cost of antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice).”