Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Whole orange fruit packs more health benefits than vitamin C pills

Do vitamin C pills on their own have the same protective effect as the whole orange fruit?



If you are looking for an antioxidant to keep you healthy, a new research suggests you would be much better off with eating oranges than popping vitamin C pills.



According to experts, oranges, universally popular for their taste and rich source of healthy vitamin C, also contain a unique mix of antioxidants which endows them with many health benefits.



The interaction of vitamin C and the multiple antioxidants present in the sumptuous fruit make it perfect to help fight cancer, premature aging, increase immunity, prevent bone related problems, and perhaps also heart diseases.



Lead author of the study, Tory Parker, assistant professor of nutrition, dietetics and food science at Brigham Young University in Utah stated, \"There\'s something about an orange that\'s better than taking a vitamin C capsule, and that\'s really what we\'re trying to figure out.



\"We think it\'s the particular mixture of antioxidants in an orange that makes it so good for you.\"



Fruits reduce free radicals

According to Parker, high intake of carbohydrates and fat in daily diet elevate the proportion of free radicals in the blood stream. This in turn raises the odds for hardened arteries and heart disease.



However consumption of fruits a few hours after every meal eliminates the adverse effect.



\"Carbs and fat increase free radicals, and fruit and internal antioxidants counteract that,\" Parker said.



He added, \"That means fruit should be your dessert -- remember, before cookies, candy and other sugary snacks became so widespread, fruit was our \'sweet.\'\"



Combinations of anti-oxidants in oranges examined

In a bid to determine why whole orange packs more health benefits than a vitamin C supplement, nutritional experts tested dozens of combinations of the antioxidants found in the fruit.



The focus of the study was to examine whether particular antioxidants found in oranges together have a more powerful effect than any one compound on its own.



Parker stated, \"We\'re looking for synergistic effects. Cases where the effect of two or more antioxidants together was stronger than the sum of them separately.\"



Findings of the study

The scientists were able to pin point several combinations of antioxidants that were the most synergistic. However, compounds hesperidin and naringenin together in particular, exhibited the best anti-oxidizing effect.



Parker will continue further research revolving around these two compounds to determine whether their health effects imitate those of eating an orange.



Parker stated, \"I\'m really most interested in protecting healthy people and keeping the healthy, healthy. And no matter what our research finds, it\'s very clear that a great way to do that is to simply eat more fruit.\"



The findings of study are published in a recent issue of the \'Journal of Food Science.\'


News From: http://www.7StarNews.com

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