11 Health Benefits Of Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits include grapefruits, limes, lemons, and oranges, in addition to pomelos and tangerines. The citrus fruits in this diverse group are not only refreshing and tasty, but they are also considered the all-star foods as they are rich in compounds named flavonoids, which provide extremely powerful anticancer properties.

Health Benefits Of Citrus Fruits – The Best Advantages:

Citrus fruits have been valued for long as part of a delicious and nutritious diet. The flavors that citrus fruits provide are some of the most preferred in this planet, and it is very clear that citrus fruits can not only provide good tastes, but also many health benefits that people should make use. It is well-recognized hat citrus fruits and products made from this type of food are among the wonderfully abundant sources of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber (non-starch polysaccharides) that are very necessary and essential for the healthy development and growth of our body as well as remaining the overall nutritional well-being. Nevertheless, it is now starting to be spoken highly that these and other non-nutrient, biologically active compounds that citrus fruits contain and those included in other plants (phytochemicals) will also be able to help in reducing the risks of several chronic diseases. In fact, if used in moderation, dietary recommendations and guidelines that encourage the high intake of citrus fruits and products from these foods will lead to several nutritional benefits across the population.

The flavonoids contained in citrus fruits are also powerful antioxidants that can help in neutralizing free radicals and thereby protecting against cardiovascular disease. Researchers showed that flavonoids contained in citrus fruits can help in preventing the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reducing the ability of arteries to form blood clots, and improving blood flow through coronary arteries (preventing the oxidation of LDL is an important initial step in the artery plaques formation)

Citrus fruits are abundant sources of vitamin C, and they are also very rich in thiamine and folate. Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and cell division. Thiamin is a B vitamin that is very essential and important for the metabolism. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can help to protect the body from the harms of free radicals. It is also needed for the collagen synthesis, which can help in the process of wound healing and help to hold ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, and bone together.

In the article today, I would like to reveal some of the best health benefits of citrus fruits in details so you should keep your head on the following interesting nutritional facts about the power of citrus fruits for human health.

1. Reduce Stress:

benefits of citrus fruits-reduce stress

This is the very first out of the best benefits of citrus fruits for health that I would like to introduce in this entire article and want you and my other readers to learn and make use for good!

Japanese researchers showed that linalool – an aromatic compound that is contained in lemons (also in lavender, mangoes, and other fragrant plants), altered gene activity and blood chemistry to lower the levels of stress in mice exposed to challenging conditions. Inhaling linalool reduced the activity of over 100 genes that usually increase in stressful situations.

2. Lower Dosage Of Certain Drugs:

benefits of citrus fruits-lower dosage of certain drugs

At the University of Chicago, a 2024 clinical trial showed that consuming just one glass of grapefruit juice every day at the same time with taking the anti-cancer drug sirolimus can provide 3 times increase of the drug effects because the juice can help to slow down the metabolism of the drug. This means patients might be able to reduce their dosage of that drug, thereby lowering the risks of having side effects and also reducing the costs (the exact dosage is still being studied). You just need to note one thing: grapefruits and some other citrus fruits can negatively interact with some types of drugs; if you love consuming these fruits, you need to consult a prestigious pharmacist or doctor before eating.

3. Good For Eyes:

benefits of citrus fruits-good for eyes

Vitamin C is a strong and great antioxidant that can help to inhibit the damage of the free radicals to the body and prevent scurvy as well. Recently, researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University discovered that the retinas of human eyes need vitamin C to support the proper function of their nerve cells and thereby maintaining better eyesight. To meet your body’s daily demand, you just need to know: A lemon with peel can provide up to 111 % of vitamin C, 1/2 a red or pink grapefruit – 51%, a medium orange – 93%, and two clementines – 96%.

In fact, this is also among the most interesting and good benefits of citrus fruits so people should bring these healthy foods along to eat and to make use whenever and in anywhere they want.

4. Cancer:

benefits of citrus fruits-cancer

In one study published in in 2024 in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Japanese scientists conducted some researches in animals to determine whether or not the juice and pulp from the satsuma mandarin (a common seedless type of mandarin orange) can hinder the development of cancer. They discovered that hesperidin and beta-cryptoxanthin presented in these mandarins can inhibit the growth of tumour in lung tissues, colon and tongue. This is in brief one of the best health benefits of citrus fruits for human beings so that people should not look down yet try to make use by adding these fruits to the daily diet so that they will be able to prevent and lower the risks and also the development of cancers.

5. Lower Your Stroke Risks:

benefits of citrus fruits-lower your stroke risks

A study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke in 2024 assessed the eating habits over 14 years of follow-up of almost 70,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study. It exposed that women who are the most flavanone —mainly through grapefruits, oranges, and the juice taken from these fruits — had a 19% lower risks of strokes related to blood and clot than those who consumed the least amount. This is actually also one out of the best benefits of citrus fruits for health that a lot of people in the world love and have been making use to reduce the risks of getting cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

6. Fight Weight Gain:

benefits of citrus fruits-fight weight gain

Another out of the best health benefits of citrus fruits that I would like to reveal in this entire article and want you and my other readers to learn and remember to make use is that citrus fruits can help to inhibit the weight gain process effectively.

A 2024-research conducted by the Western University in London, Ont., showed that nobiletin – a flavonoid extracted from tangerine can help in offering protection against type 2 diabetes and preventing obesity. The study looked at the rats that were fed a diet with high levels of simple sugar and fat. One group faced obese and experienced the metabolic symptoms that make the risks of type 2 diabetes increase.

The second group came with the rats fed the same diet but with added nobiletin, and these rats maintained normal weight and showed no change in their levels of insulin and glucose.

7. Asthma:

benefits of citrus fruits-asthma

This is also one of the best health benefits of citrus fruits that people should learn and make use for good, especially those struggling with asthma.

Some researchers suggest that following a diet low in vitamin C is one of the major trigger factors causing asthma (Hatch, 1995). Vitamin C is a very powerful and essential antioxidant substance presented in the airway surface liquid of our lungs, where it might be essential in the body’s protection against oxidants. More studies would be needed to determine whether or not citrus fruits consumption and vitamin C are protective in the asthma’s progression and causation.

8. Cognitive Function:

benefits of citrus fruits-cognitive function

The benefit for improving cognitive function that citrus fruits bring about is also very important and valuable. The cognitive dysfunction in the elderly was proven related and associated with the elevated levels of homocysteine. On cognitive tests (Ortega et al., 1997), older men and women with greater consumptions of vegetables and fruits, and the corresponding nutrients folate and vitamin C have been exposed to perform better. The intake of a satisfactory diet, containing foods that are nutrient-dense, has been shown to link to the better cognitive functioning of people at old ages. More studies would be needed to determine the effects of long-term citrus food intake on cognition. In fact, this is among the most important benefits of citrus fruits for human health so that people should try to add more citrus fruits to the daily diet to consume for good!

9. Kidney Stone Disease:

benefits of citrus fruits-kidney stone disease

Kidney stone is a crystal structure formed by excess salt levels of the urine. Calcium stone is the most popular type of stone in the kidney. A stone will get its size increasing until it is not passable and gets lodged in the ureter. The symptoms of kidney stone may include fever, blood in the urine and severe back pain. The stone in the kidney strikes men 3 – 4 times more frequent than women. Someone is at high risks of developing kidney and they have been found with improper citrate levels in their urine and it is also suggested that drinking orange juice and consuming citrus fruits can help in preventing kidney stone disease by increasing the citrate of the urinate track. More studies would be needed in this area, but improving your citrus fruit daily intake is actually a nutritionally sound suggestion that is proved to be extremely good for individuals who are at high risks of developing any type of kidney stones.

10. Anaemia:

benefits of citrus fruits-anaemia

Another out of the best health benefits of citrus fruits that people should learn carefully and make use by adding these foods to the daily diet is the help of these foods in preventing and improving the symptoms of anaemia. Vitamin C can help in increasing the absorption of non-haem iron (plant foods contain this form of inorganic iron) 2 – 4 folds. The bioavailability of non-haem iron is quite lower compared to the bioavailability of haem iron (animals contain this form of inorganic iron). Vegetarians and anyone who consume low levels of animal products and meat are at a high risk of getting a deficiency of iron, which can over time progress to anaemia. In around the world, anaemia is one of the most dangerous health issues that related to nutrient intake, resulting in decreased cognitive function, reduced physical performance, impaired psychomotor development, and poor growth. Eating a lot of citrus fruits – the abundant sources of vitamin C – will help to prevent anaemia the devastating consequences it brings about.

11. Bone Metabolism And Osteoporosis:

benefits of citrus fruits-bone metabolism and osteoporosis

This is the last but very important out of the best health benefits of citrus fruits that I would like to reveal in this entire article and want you and my other readers to make use of citrus fruits if they are facing any problem related to bone metabolism or osteoporosis. In fact, the effect of nutrient consumption on the density of bone is a hot topic for many researches and studies, raising a lot of questions that still have no exact answer. The long term consumption of many types of foods might be very important and essential for developing the health of our bone. This is probably because of the health benefits and positive influences of these foods on the acid base balance. The consumption of vitamin C has been proven associated with the bone mineral density. However, for understanding more about the interaction’s mechanism, there are still a lot of works scientists must do!

The influence of nutrient intake on bone density is an area of current research with many unanswered questions. Long-term intake of various foods may be important to bone health, possibly because of their beneficial effect on the acid base balance (New et al., 1997). Vitamin C intake has been associated with bone mineral density, but more work in this area is necessary to understand the mechanism of interaction.

Another thing that I want you and my other readers to do after reading this entire writing and about the best benefits of citrus fruits for health in general and how to make use of citrus fruits on a daily basis, I recommend you and my other readers to spend time reading another article that introduce the most impressive and important benefits of orange – one popular type of citrus fruits that are widely used all over the world – the How To Improve Health With Orange And 9 Best Benefits Of Orange. This is actually an interesting gathering of the most common and also the best advantages for health in general that orange brings to human beings on this planet. These benefits of orange have already supported well for many people in the world in preventing and dealing with a lot of health issues without leading to any unwanted side effect so that readers of Vkool.com should read this recommended article and also make use of the health benefits it mentioned depending on each separate personal case without worrying about anything.

This is the list of 11 best and most common health benefits of citrus fruits that everyone who wants to know whether or not this type of food good for health should read and remember to make use of. In fact, citrus fruits have been already proven very good and tasty food materials that can be used to process several separate nutritious dishes so many people will definitely love eating them. The effectiveness and amazing benefits of these foods are actually proven by science and simple to buy and consume so people should not hesitate when making use of them.

After reading the list of health benefits of citrus fruits and learn how to make use of them for good, if you feel that this list is good for your current need and can really help not only you but also other people who are struggling with one or more among the health issues I mentioned in this article, you should share this list with them and encourage them to add more citrus fruits to their own daily diet. One more thing, as an author of Vkool, I always welcome all of my readers’ personal thoughts, opinions, and evaluations. Therefore, I hope you will not forget to leave your comments and feedbacks below to show me your own thoughts about this article. Do not hesitate at all!

Related articles about the benefits of some other food materials and herbs; including benefits of citrus fruits, and how to make use of them in certain and specific cases:

List Of 19 Health And Beauty Benefits Of Banana

16 Best Benefits And Side Effects Of Aloe Vera

16 Best Natural Health Benefits Of Mango

List Of 28 Best Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar

16 Health Benefits Of Fresh Ginger

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