Everyone knows that fruit is healthy, and vitamin-C packed oranges are a great snack. Ensuring you eat a healthy, balanced diet with your five a day fruit and vegetables can not only help you lose weight, but it can also help you to fight illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Can oranges alone, however, have the power to reduce obesity? Recent research shows that they could certainly help!
New Research Shows Oranges Can Reduce Obesity
Researchers at Western University are undertaking a study on a molecule called nobiletin found in tangerines and sweet oranges. They found that this molecule has been able to drastically reduce obesity in mice and ‘reverse its negative side effects.’
How Does This Happen?
They say ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ but does this research mean it is oranges we should reach for? Although why this molecule can reduce obesity remains unknown, it’s an exciting and eye-opening discovery. The research consisted of a test that saw mice being fed high cholesterol and a high-fat diet and then given the molecule. The results showed that the mice that were given nobiletin were ‘noticeably leaner’ with lower blood fats and reduced levels of insulin resistance compared to the mice that were fed the high-cholesterol, high-fat diet alone.
Could this mean that by merely incorporating oranges into our diet, we could improve our health and reduce our chances of weight gain and obesity without making any other drastic changes? Although the study wasn’t carried out on humans, and we are yet to know whether it would cause the same outcome, oranges are a worthy addition to your daily diet!
