Oranges Pack Powerful Antioxidant Punch

New research from Brigham Young University suggest eating oranges or drinking orange juice is the best way to squeeze all the antioxidants and nutrients from the tasty fruit. The best health-promoting combinations of those natural antioxidants were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Food Science.


“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," said Tory Parker, BYU assistant professor of nutrition, dietetics and food science. “We think it’s the particular mixture of antioxidants in an orange that makes it so good for you."

Parker said every time we eat carbohydrates and fat, we increase the amount of free radicals in our blood. Over time, that increases our chance for hardened arteries and heart disease; however, eating fruit protects us from that effect for a few hours after every meal.

The team tested dozens of combinations of the antioxidants found in an orange at the same proportions they occur naturally. They identified several combinations of antioxidants that were the most synergistic—the compounds hesperidin and naringenin, in particular, appeared to contribute the most punch in the combinations.

Sources:

• Brigham Young University: Squeezing maximum health benefits out of the orange in your stocking