Washington, March 31 (Inditop.com) Flavonoid, an antioxidant in orange juice, taken along with a high-fat meal, especially fast food, neuters its ill effects, says a new study.
Free radicals, or reactive oxygen species, are known to induce inflammation in blood vessel linings and contribute to the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Endocrinologists at the University of Buffalo (UB) in the US show that the potent preventative effect of orange juice is most likely linked to its heavy load of flavonoids, naringenin and hesperidin, which are major antioxidants.
“Our data show, for the first time to our knowledge, that drinking orange juice with a meal high in fat and carbohydrates prevented the marked increases in reactive oxygen species and other inflammatory agents,” says UB assistant professor Husam Ghanim and study author.
“This did not happen when participants drank water or a sugary drink with the meal,” he says. “These issues of inflammation following a meal are important because the resultant high glucose and high triglycerides are known to be related to the development of cardiovascular events.”
The study appeared in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
