| The humble tangerine has become the darling of medical science after recent research has shown it to have many beneficial properties. Like all other citrus fruit, tangerines are high in Vitamin C and fibre and also high in Vitamin A. If that is not enough to make you want to eat them, they are also the easiest citrus fruit to peel. Now that should get you wanting them now... If that didn't work, then how about this? Researchers from the University of Western Ontario found that tangerines also contain a substance called Nobiletin, which is a flavonoid. Nobiletin prevents obesity and protects against type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. That means they also protect against heart disease and stroke. Got your attention now? Now, flavonoids are not only found in tangerines. They are also found in other citrus fruits, like the grapefruit. Earlier research on the grapefruit flavonoid showed it to have similar benefits to that of the tangerine flavonoid, Nobiletin. The difference is that it is ten times more potent in tangerines than grapefruit, and tangerines also help the body fight heart disease. That makes tangerines the tastiest medication for obesity and heart disease. This is brilliant news considering that both obesity and heart disease are the biggest health problems of our times. For the scientifically minded (and less-squeamish) the study was conducted by setting up a model of metabolic syndrome by using the old lab favourite - the lab mouse (or mice in this case). All the mice in this study were fed a typically modern, American (or Western) diet high in fats and sugars. The mice were divided into two groups. One group was also being fed Nobiletin. The group that had no Nobiletin at all became obese. As a result they suffered with all the complications that arise as a result of metabolic syndrome: fatty liver, high levels of insulin, high levels of glucose, and high triglycerides. these are precursors to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The Nobiletin group of mice stayed healthy! There was no obesity and no metabolic syndrome. The researchers concluded that Nobiletin improved the health of the mice and that it plays a part in stimulating the genes that play a role in burning excess fat, as well as suppressing those genes that play a part in manufacturing fat. The researchers say that Nobiletin protected the mice against atherosclerosis in the long term. They are planning to look into using Nobiletin as a treatment for metabolic syndrome. Yet again Nature has the answers to our problems. So make sure you add tangerines to your five-a-day... :-) |
Sources:
Medicalexpress.com, 6 April 2011, "Substance in tangerines fights obesity and protects against heart disease,
Health Sciences Institute e-Alert (UK Edition), 23 June 2011.
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