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Citrus Fruit & Antioxidants

Image result for citrus
               Winter is the citrus season! Limes, grapefruits, lemons, and limes are abundant this time of year.                        Photo Credit:  Cookinglight.com


                Citrus fruits are about to be in-season—oranges, clementines, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits—and will be taking center stage in most grocery store produce sections. Citrus fruits are sources of vitamin C/ascorbic acid, an antioxidant that can be obtained through the diet, and of potassium, a mineral that acts as an electrolyte and influences nerve impulses, fluid balance, blood pressure, muscle use, and more in the body. When consuming the whole fruit, citrus are also sources of fiber, a pre-biotic associated with bowel health. Orange juice has been culturally portrayed as a morning beverage, and, with oranges, is commonly shown in commercials as a way to balance your breakfast when combined with a bowl of cereal and low-fat milk. In years past our parents and grandparents can probably remember receiving oranges as special treats during the holidays. But what is the benefit of making sure we consume citrus and our general recommended fruit servings each day? There might be processes going on internally that make fruits such as citrus more of a special treat than we might think. To continue discussing the emerging topic of antioxidants’ protective role in our diet, this blogpost discusses the proposed antioxidant actions of currently studied citrus fruits at the cellular level and their suggested benefits.

                  One review by Zou, Xi, Hu, et al. published in 2015 reports intriguing new information on the studied benefit of antioxidants obtained through consumption of citrus. As there are multiple types of antioxidants with differing actions, many of these antioxidant compounds can be present in citrus fruits at once. The review mentioned over 170 antioxidants may be present in citrus alone! The following antioxidants (among others) were specifically mentioned with a description of their suggested action:

               Vitamin C · Neutralize reactive oxygen species that may cause damage to cells

                Vitamin A · React with free peroxide that may cause damage

                Vitamin E · React with free peroxide and reactive oxygen species, protect mitochondria

                Selenium · Protect mitochondria, destroy free radicals

                Flavonoids · Neutralize reactive oxygen species, decrease formation of damaging peroxide,

                                        enhance antioxidant enzyme activity

   Limonoids · Destroy free radicals

                Pectin · Destroy free radicals, enhance antioxidant enzyme activity

Attributes of individual fruits that may affect antioxidant content or the efficiency of how an antioxidant protects during growth include the fruit type, growing soil quality, growing temperature/sunlight exposure, time spent ripening, and fertilizer use. Even more impactful to antioxidants may be the storage duration, temperature, and exposure to light; coolness and UV light during citrus storage may produce greater amounts of antioxidants in the fruit, even after harvest. Processing, however, under high heat (e.g. the pasteurization of juice), high pressure, or freezing conditions was most associated with decreased levels of antioxidants.

Should the present antioxidants successfully protect cells from oxidative damage, processes such as inflammation might be reduced, limiting the extent of damage to the body and preventing the forward progression of certain conditions, including heart disease and some cancers. Currently, research has only begun to scrape the surface of antioxidant knowledge, though there has been progress made toward goals of understanding the available antioxidants, each one’s unique/overlapping functions, what factors optimize/diminish their activity, and what daily amounts are sufficient for assisting in the prevention of disease and/or the promotion of health.  It’s exciting to think how our foods may do more for our health than give us energy. More health discoveries may come with even further clinical studies with human participants!


Check out the REVIEW ARTICLE link here!
                 

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