Vitamin C in Oranges

Vitamin C in Oranges. Benefits of Oranges and Oranges Nutrition Facts. Vitamin C is your body’s first line of defense against free radicals.

Oranges Nutrition Facts

Oranges are an excellent source of the following: Vitamin C, Fiber, Folate, Limonene, Potassium, Polyphenols and pectin.

Recommended Daily Intake

Recommended daily intake: 1 serving – California Navel Oranges or California Valencia Oranges are best.

Benefits of Oranges

Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in your body. Thus, it is in the first line of defense in and outside cells, and protects your body against free radicals.

As Pratt and Matthews note, the nutrients in oranges work together to prevent all of the following serious conditions: cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, cataracts, birth defects, cognitive decline.

Facts about Oranges

How does Vitamin C protect your body against cancer?

One of the most common causes of cancer is DNA damaged by free radicals. Vitamin C protects the DNA from free-radical damage, and prevents cancer before it even begins. According to research by CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), citrus fruits lower the risk of esophageal cancers and stomach cancers by as much as 50 percent.

The study also concluded that citrus prevents cardiovascular disease. How? The folate in citrus lowers the levels of homocysteine, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. At the same time, citrus contains potassium, which lowers blood pressure and thus also helps prevent cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin C in oranges neutralizes free radicals and prevent free radicals from oxidizing cholesterol. If cholesterol is oxidized, it sticks to artery walls and builds up in plagues that may eventually grow large enough to block the entire artery, causing a rupture or stroke.

More information about Oranges

Pratt and Matthews recommend a daily Vitamin C intake of at least 350 mg. A navel orange provides only 23 percent of that amount of Vitamin C. For other fruit sources of Vitamin C, consider the following: common guava, fresh strawberries, cubed papaya, kiwi, cantaloupe; as for vegetables, try chopped broccoli, green bell pepper (or its yellow, red, orange variations).

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