Easy Health Options Staff | Feb 27, 2012 | Comments 0
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a daily orange may keep strokes at bay. Analysis of 14 years of data from 70,000 women in the Nurse’s Health Study shows that eating more citrus fruit (oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and lemons) can reduce your chances of a stroke.“Studies have shown higher fruit, vegetable and specifically vitamin C intake is associated with reduced stroke risk,” says Aedín Cassidy, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and professor of nutrition at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom. “Flavonoids (compounds in fruits and vegetables) are thought to provide some of that protection through several mechanisms, including improved blood vessel function and an anti-inflammatory effect.”
In this analysis, the flavonoids came primarily from oranges and orange juice (82 percent) and grapefruit and grapefruit juice (14 percent). However, researchers recommended that consumers increase their citrus fruit intake, rather than juice, due to the high sugar content of commercial fruit juices.
The research was reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/citrus-fruit-may-lower-risk-of-stroke/
