Researchers believe that eating oranges can actually cut the risk of developing a lung cancer or some other disease.
Japanese scientists found the key were vitamin A compounds called carotenoids which give the fruit its orange color.
In the first study, scientists surveyed 1,073 people in the Japanese town, Mikkabi, in Shizuoka, who ate a high number of mandarin oranges. They found chemical markers in the population’s blood samples that were linked to a lower risk of liver disease, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and insulin resistance (a condition associated with diabetes).
A second study found that drinking mandarin juice appeared to cut the chance of developing liver cancer in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
After a year, no liver cancer was found in the group, compared to a rate of 8.9% among a group of 45 patients with the same condition who did not drink the juice. Meanwhile, scientists believe they have taken another step closer to preventing antibiotic-resistant infections from spreading.
The Japanese researchers admit more work is needed and plan to continue the study for five years. The findings could lead to new drugs to fight infections that commonly cause death in people with AIDS or cystic fibrosis, they said.
