Citric Fruits - A Healthy Food
by: Dr. John Roberts
New studies suggested once again that citric fruits including
oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits help fight cancer, high cholesterol,
and obesity.
Studies both at Texas A&M University and Kanazawa Medical
University in Japan showed that compounds in citric fruits can
help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Researchers at Texas A&M
University found that freeze-dried grapefruit, similar to the
whole grapefruit, can reduce the incidence of early colon cancer
lesions in animals. The Japanese researchers found anti-colon
cancer properties in nobiletin - a compound found in tangerines.
Grapefruit can also reduce the risk of cancer caused by smoking.
A study on the cancer prevention was done by the researchers at
the University of Hawaii. The researchers found that drinking
6 ounces of grapefruit juice a day reduces the activity of a liver
enzyme that is thought to activate toxic chemicals in the smoke.
On another front, scientists from the USDA and a Canadian company
isolated a compound - polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) - from
orange and tangerine peels that can actually lower cholesterol
in animals. They found that use of food containing 1% PMFs can
lower cholesterol by 32 to 40%.
Grapefruits also promote weight loss. Researchers at Scripps
Clinic in San Diego found that grapefruit may trigger weight loss
by lowering insulin levels, an excess of which is linked to weight
gain. Effect of grapefruits on weight loss was confirmed in humans.
An early study by the same researchers confirmed that eating grapefruit
or drinking juice with meal can help the obese lose weight.
Even the interaction of grapefruit juice with drugs, a bad trait
for grapefruit, has been explored. Researchers at Texas A&M
Citrus Center studied the interaction between grapefruit compounds
and drugs in hopes that this interaction can be taken advantage
of to increase bioavailability of drugs in humans.
These studies were presented in the American Chemical Society
Annual Meeting being held in Pennsylvania during Aug. 22 through
26.
About The Author
John Roberts is a freelance writer for http://www.foodconsumer.com.
This article was originally published at http://foodconsumer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1241
kontact@foodconsumer.com
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