Citrus fruits offer us a great deal – plenty of vitamin C, a sharp distinctive, acidic flavour and even fibre in the pulp. It also appears to offer us plenty of antioxidants that may prevent if not reduce a range of health concerns. According to a recent piece of research exploring the health benefits of popular foods, citrus antioxidants may lower oxidative stress, minimise liver damage, reduce ischaemic stroke risk, lower blood lipids and glucose levels, maintain or possibly lower blood pressure, and support heart health.
It has been known for many years that fruits contain a variety of antioxidants called flavonoids, which are one of the largest group of plant chemicals called phytonutrients, of which there are over 6,000 types. Phytonutrients along with carotenoids are responsible for the sharp vivid colours of fruits and vegetables.
Flavonoids
There are several groups of flavonoids, including anthocyanidins, flavanols, flavones, flavanones and isoflavones. Flavanones are especially abundant in citrus fruits , such as hesperidin, eriocitrin, and eriodictyol and have been associated with lowering oxidative stress in vitro and animal models.
A new study from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Brazil revealed that consuming oranges and other citrus fruits could delay or prevent negative effects of obesity in mouse models given a Western-style, high-fat diet. The investigators were presenting the results of their study at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia, USA.
Paula S. Ferreira, a graduate student with the research team stated:-
“Our results indicate that in the future we can use citrus flavanones, a class of antioxidants, to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in humans.”
In this study, the researchers treated 50 mice with three kinds of flavanones, hesperidin, eriocitrin and eriodictyol. The researchers divided the mice into groups, which were receiving a standard diet, a high-fat diet, a high-fat diet with hesperidin or eriocitrin or eriodictyol.
Obesity causes fat cells to increase in size and these enlarged fat cells produce high levels of reactive oxygen species, which potentially damage the cells in a process referred to as oxidative stress. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claim now that one-third of adults are obese in the U.S. It’s a known fact that obesity makes people more prone to various diseases related to the heart and liver, and even makes the person insulin restrain, leading to diabetes hence the considerable interest in research to reduce obesity levels generally.
TBARS
The researchers found that the group of mice receiving a high-fat diet had an 80 percent increase in levels of cell-damage markers known as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the blood and a 57 percent increase in the liver compared to mice on a standard diet.
On the other hand, hesperidin, eriocitrin and eriodictyol decreased the TBARS levels in the liver by 50 percent, 57 percent and 64 percent, respectively. Furthermore, eriocytrin and eriodictyol also reduced TBARS levels in the blood by 48 percent and 47 percent, respectively, while hesperidin and eriodictyol reduced fat accumulation and damage in the liver.
According to a press release, all three kinds of flavanones used in the study caused the mice to lose weight. However, the antioxidants in citrus fruits also made these mice healthier with lower oxidative stress, less liver damage, lower blood lipids and lower blood glucose.
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