A team of British and French experts has established that oranges and orange juice can also offer protection against a number of health conditions
Oranges are well understood for boosting vitamin C, seen as a defence against coughs and colds, but new research suggests they offer many other benefits. A team of British and French experts has established that oranges and orange juice can also offer protection against getting kidney stones, which sufferers complain can lead to pain “worse than childbirth”.
Details have been revealed in a research paper written by Professor Bhaskar K Somani, a world renowned endourologist based at University Hospital Southampton, and colleague Yazeed Barghouthy, a urology expert and surgeon, at the Valenciennes’s General Hospital, in France. Following a review of 13 studies conducted around the world, they concluded: “Orange juice seems to play a protective role against stone formation”.
And the good news for lovers of oranges does not end there with many other benefits discovered, including:
* Due a low glycemic index, orange is recommended for diabetes prevention.
* High vitamin C content stimulates white blood cell production and helps strengthen the immune system.
* High levels of antioxidants keep skin healthy and reduce signs of aging.
* An orange contains only 65 calories, making it highly recommended in weight loss diets.
* High fibre content prolongs the feeling of fullness.
* They are rich in calcium, which protects bones and teeth, keeping them healthy.
* Consumption helps reduce fat absorption and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
* Anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for people with arthritis.
* They are considered beneficial for preventing cancer and also for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Looking at kidney stones, the doctors reported there has been an increased prevalence in recent decades with the result that as many as one in seven people in industrialised nations, such as the UK, will suffer the condition at some point in their lifetime. Generally, there are two types of stones. Most are formed from calcium oxylate, which is associated with fruits like rhubarb, strawberries, and kiwi, vegetables like spinach, beets, and celery, nuts, chocolate, tea, and cocoa drinks.
However, much of the increase in recent years has been linked to stones associated with uric acid, which is mainly due to the high sugar content of the modern diet and increasing numbers of patients with metabolic syndrome. Historically, doctors have recommended that people vulnerable to getting kidney stones should moderate consumption of trigger foods and drink plenty of fluids.
The new research paper looked specifically at the effects of consuming citrus fruit and juices, specifically orange, grapefruit and lemon or lemonade. It pointed to one study that found the risk of stone formation rose by 37 per cent in men who consumed grapefruit on a daily basis, while a second project “showed that orange juice was protective against stone formation” with a 12 per cent risk reduction.
As a result, the research paper concluded: “Three large epidemiological studies showed an increased risk for urinary stone formation with the ingestion of grapefruit juice and a protective role for the consumption of orange juice.”
Looking at the reason for the benefits of oranges, they added: “Citrus fruit juices exert their potential protective effect in multiple ways. The first and most obvious one is the beneficial addition of fluid intake itself with citrus juice consumption. The second is the citrate content in citrus fruit juices, which is one of the strongest inhibitors of urinary stone formation.”
It said this citrate content “plays a fundamental role in protection against uric acid stone formation” by making urine more alkaline. Significantly, they pointed out that: “Citrate is even used in medical dissolution therapy for uric acid stones, allowing certain patients complete resolution of their stones and avoidance of surgical procedures to remove the stones.”
The team also argued that the fibre content in oranges “potentially also contributes to their protective effect”.
