Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which is the biggest group of plant nutrients – phytonutrients – with more than 6,000 types. Together with carotenoids (organic pigmentation), they are responsible for the vivid colours of fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits contain many antioxidants, capable of preventing a wide range of health concerns. Especially flavanones, one type of flavonoids, are present in citrus fruits.
According to a recent article, examining the health benefits of popular foods, citrus fruits can lower the risk of ischemic stroke, maintain a healthy blood pressure and support a healthy heart. The results indicated that flavonoids from citrus fruits can be used to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in the future.
Around 40 % of males in the UK are overweight and 20 % of the overall population are obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing heart diseases, liver diseases and type 2 diabetes. These diseases could be caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. Antioxidants are believed to have the ability to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
A high-fat diet leads to the accumulation of fat, and fat cells produce a lot of reactive oxygen species which damage cells.
Whereas the body is usually able to fight the oxidative stress molecules with antioxidants, people who are obese have enlarged fat cells, which can lead to higher levels of oxidative stress and thereby overburden the body so it is no longer able to fight them.
In a study, 50 mice were split up into different groups according to diet and whether or not they were treated with flavanones.
The results showed that in mice eating a high-fat diet, compared to mice fed a regular diet, the level of cell damaging substances, such as the reactive substances mentioned above, was increased by 80 % in the blood and 57 % in the liver. The level of reactive substances in the liver of the mice who were on a high-fat diet and who received treatment with flavanones was reduced by 50-64 % and by 47-48 % in the blood, compared to the mice that were fed a high-fat diet but didn’t receive treatment with flavanones. In addition, the accumulation of fat and the damage to the liver were reduced. Even though scientists didn’t observe any weight loss in mice treated with flavanones, the mice had less liver damage, lower levels of oxidative stress, lower levels of fat in the blood and lower blood sugar.
Future research will examine the best way to manage flavanones, and whether it is through eating fruit, drinking fruit juices or taking a supplement containing antioxidants. The team of scientists furthermore plan to include human subjects in future studies.
