Oranges: More Than Just Vitamin C

Oranges are usually associated with vitamin C, and thought of as nature’s finest source of vitamin C. Due to its vitamin C content, most people think of oranges when they think of healthy foods and infection fighters.

Oranges are a great source of vitamin C which, as a top antioxidant, help to prevent damage to DNA by free radicals. I have written extensively on the subject of free radicals and anti-oxidants so I’ll only briefly touch on the subject here for those who haven’t read any of my other articles.

Basically, a free radical is an unstable particle. The reason for being unstable is, it is missing one of its electrons. It damages other tissues in the body because it travels around in an attempt to steal an electron from another molecule. An antioxidant has an extra electron which it donates to the free-radical, thereby neutralizing it.

A medium-sized orange contains about 63 milligrams of vitamin C…not the best source, kiwifruit contains twice the vitamin C of an orange. However, in addition to the vitamin C, oranges contain over 60 different flavanoids and more than 170 different phytochemicals which have been found to be potent cancer fighters.

Phytochemicals in oranges, and all other citrus fruits, called limonoids are under investigation for a variety of different heath-benefits including antiviral, antibacterial, anti malarial, etc. In laboratory tests, limonoids have proven to help fight cancers of the stomach, colon, skin, breast, mouth, and lungs. Limonin, a metabolic by-product of limonoids, remains in the blood for up to 24 hours.

Hesperidin is the predominant flavanoids in the fruit and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties as well as strengthening the capillaries. Together with vitamin C, the phytochemicals give oranges their incredible health benefits.

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