Originally published November 11 2011
More than just vitamin C - Enjoy the health benefits of oranges
by Brett Brown
(NaturalNews) Oranges are one of the most widely eaten fruits in the world. They make an excellent snack, are great for breakfast and are extremely versatile in their many uses in recipes. Oranges are also a very nutritionally dense food that is renowned for its vitamin C content and all the health benefits that come along with it, but oranges have much more to offer than just vitamin C.
Limonoids:
Oranges are an excellent source for a long lasting compound called limonoids. Limonoids are phytochemicals that are abundant in many citrus fruits, including oranges. Limonoids are known to help fight cancers of the mouth, lung, breast, skin, stomach and colon. The limonoids found in citrus fruits can stay in our bodies for roughly 24 hours, and can help to prevent the proliferation of cancer cells for a much longer time than the phenols found in green tea, which remain active in our bodies for 4 to 6 hours.
Herperidin:
Oranges also contain a flavanone molecule called herperidin. Herperidin, possibly one of the most important flavanones in oranges, has been shown to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure in animal studies. Herperidin is also a strong anti-inflammatory. It is important to note that herperidin is mostly found in the peel and inner white pith of the orange, and to gain the benefits of herperidin you should leave some of the pith on the orange while you eat it.
Kidney Stones:
According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, women, who drank half to one liter of either apple, grapefruit, or orange juice daily, increased their pH level of their urine and citric acid excretion. This in turn significantly decreased their risk of forming calcium oxalate stones.
Cryptoxanthin and Lung Cancer:
A study published in an issue of Cancer Epidemiology: Biomarkers and Prevention, reviewed the dietary lifestyles of over 60,000 adults in Shanghai, China. Those who had eaten a diet rich in the carotenoid cryptoxanthin showed a 27% decrease in their risk of lung cancer. Oranges are an excellent source of cryptoxanthin.
History:
Oranges originated thousands of years ago in Asia from the region of southern China to Indonesia where they were then spread to India. Somewhere around the 15th century, groups of European explorers had found oranges in Asia and decided to bring them back to Europe.
Spanish explorers are responsible for bringing oranges to Florida around the 16th century, while it wasn`t until the 18th century that Spanish missionaries had taken them to California; thus, the cultivation of these fruits that are most widely found in these two states began.
Although oranges are a great source of vitamin C, they are truly much more than that, proving themselves as powerhouses of nutrition. Much can be benefited by eating oranges and their pith regularly, along with consuming some freshly squeezed organic juice!
[Editor`s Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and wellbeing of all living creatures.]
Resources:
http://www.elements4health.com/oranges.html
http://www.juicing-for-health.com/oranges-he...
http://hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_O...
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foo...
About the author
Brett Brown is a contributing journalist with a strong desire to help others receive factual information in the health industry.
He also writes for and updates his own blog on a regular basis which can be found at: http://rawhealthforce.blogspot.com
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