Washington: Higher intake of citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons may help prevent heart disease, liver disease and diabetes in obese people, a new study has claimed.
Oranges and other citrus fruits contain plenty of vitamins and substances, such as antioxidants, that can help keep you healthy, researchers said.
Now a new study has found that these fruits also help prevent harmful effects of obesity in mice fed a Western-style, high-fat diet. "Our results indicate that in the future we can use citrus flavanones, a class of antioxidants, to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in humans," said Paula S Ferreira, a graduate student at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Brazil.
Being obese increases the risk of developing heart disease, liver disease and diabetes, most likely because of oxidative stress and inflammation, Ferreira said.