AUG 31, 2016 by APRIL McCARTHY

Oranges and Lemons Prevent Heart Disease, Liver Disease and Diabetes

Prevent Disease
Higher intake of citrus fruits like oranges and lemons can help keep you healthy as well as prevent harmful effects of obesity-related heart disease, liver disease and diabetes, a study has found.
Citrus fruits protect the body through their antioxidant properties (via flavanones) and by strengthening the immune system, inhibiting tumor growth and normalizing tumor cells.

When humans consume a high-fat diet, they accumulate fat in their bodies. Fat cells produce excessive reactive oxygen species, which can damage cells in a process called oxidative stress.

These oxidative stress coupled with inflammation in obese individuals increases the risk of developing heart disease, liver disease and diabetes, the researchers said.

Oranges have the highest level of antioxidants of all fruit, with more than 170 different phytochemicals, including more than 60 flavonoids shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot inhibiting properties. The diversity of applications for lemons also far exceeds general knowledge.

“Our results indicate that in the future we can use citrus flavanones to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in humans,” said Paula S. Ferreira, a graduate student at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Brazil.

However, “the study did not show any weight loss due to the citrus flavanones,” added lead researcher Thais B. Cesar from UNESP.

Even without losing weight, citrus fruits can help become healthier with lower oxidative stress, less liver damage and reduce risks of other obesity-related diseases, the researchers noted.

“The study also suggests that consuming citrus fruits probably could have beneficial effects for people who are not obese, but have diets rich in fats, putting them at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity,” Ferreira explained.

For the study, the team conducted an experiment with 50 mice, treating them with flavanones found in oranges, limes and lemons, or a high-fat diet.

They focused on flavanones such as hesperidin, eriocitrin and eriodictyol. For a month, researchers gave groups either a standard diet, a high-fat diet, a high-fat diet plus hesperidin, a high-fat diet plus eriocitrin or a high-fat diet plus eriodictyol.

The group who consumed high-fat diet without the flavanones showed increase in the levels of cell-damage markers called thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) by 80 per cent in the blood and 57 per cent in the liver compared to mice on a standard diet.

But hesperidin, eriocitrin and eriodictyol were found to decrease the TBARS levels in the liver by 50 per cent, 57 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, compared with mice fed on a high-fat diet but not given flavanones.

Eriocitrin and eriodictyol also reduced TBARS levels in the blood by 48 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively, in these mice.
In addition, mice treated with hesperidin and eriodictyol had reduced fat accumulation and damage in the liver.
The findings were presented at the 252nd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), held in Philadelphia, recently.



'Oranges and Lemons Prevent Heart Disease, Liver Disease and Diabetes' has no comments

Be the first to comment this post!

Would you like to share your thoughts?

Your email address will not be published.

©Copyright One Radio Network 2019 • All rights reserved. | Site built by RedLotus Austin
The information on this website and talk shows is solely for informational and entertainment purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors, producers of One Radio Network, Patrick Timpone, their guests or web masters take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained on this website in written or audio form, live or podcasts. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider and take total responsibility for his or her actions at all times. Patrick Joseph of the family of Timpone, a man...All rights reserved, without recourse.