Simple overview:
Eating citrus fruits is good for you and is a healthy and delicious way to add variety to your diet. Citrus provides a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and other nutrients for the immune system. They are also a good source of fiber, which can help with digestion. Additionally, citrus fruits are low in calories and fat, making them a healthy choice for weight loss or maintenance.
Why this is important:
Citrus fruit have multiple health benefits, including:
- Boosting your immune system: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage and is essential for the production of white blood cells, which help fight infection.
- Protecting your heart health: Citrus fruits are a good source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. They also contain flavonoids, which are antioxidants that help protect against heart disease.
- Promoting weight loss: Citrus fruits are low in calories and high in fiber, which can help you feel full and satisfied after eating. They are also a good source of water, which can help you stay hydrated and lose weight.
- Improving your skin health: Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, which is a protein that gives skin its strength and elasticity and helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines.
- Protecting your eyes: Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin A, which is essential for vision. They also contain carotenoids, which are antioxidants that may help protect against age-related macular degeneration.
Basic details:
The following is a keyword summary of the benefits of Lemons and Limes:
Protective:
- antiviral
- antibiotic
- anticancer
- antifungal
- antiobesity
- antidiabetic
- antioxidant
- antibacterial
- antimicrobial
- anti-inflammatory
- prevents periodontal disease
Enhances:
- lipid-lowering
- healthy aging
- prebiotic properties
- neurotrophic properties
- helps lower cholesterol
- anti-gastric ulcer effects
- helps maintain GI health
- neuroprotective properties
Improves:
- cardiovascular protection
- support testosterone balance
- regulates intestinal immune system
- modulates intestinal barrier permeability
- positively shape microbiome and metabolome
Into the details:
The science behind these benefits:
The following excerpts have been compiled from studies and research papers found on the website https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ . PubMed® comprises more than 35 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed® in a website of the National Center for Biotechnology Center, of the National Library of Medicine, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of the United States Government.
There are over 21,992 trials, analyses, and scientific reviews of “Citrus” found on PubMed. Here are a few:
“Citrus fruits as a treasure trove of active natural metabolites that potentially provide benefits for human health”
PMID: 26705419 2015 Dec 24
Abstract: Citrus-derived secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, alkaloids, limonoids, coumarins, carotenoids, phenolic acids and essential oils, are of vital importance to human health due to their active properties.
These characteristics include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, as well as cardiovascular protective effects, neuroprotective effects.
“Citrus flavonoids and the intestinal barrier: Interactions and effects”
PMID: 33443802 2020 Nov 1
The intestinal barrier plays a central role in sustaining gut homeostasis and, when dysfunctional, may contribute to diseases. Dietary flavonoids derived from Citrus genus represent one of the main naturally occurring phytochemicals with multiple potential benefits for the intestinal barrier function. In the intestine, citrus flavonoids (CFs) undergo ingestion from the lumen, biotransformation in the epithelial cells and/or crosstalk with luminal microbiota to afford various metabolites that may in turn exert protective actions on gut barrier along with their parental compounds.
Specifically, the health-promoting properties of CFs and their metabolic bioactives for the intestinal barrier include their capacity to (a) modulate barrier permeability; (b) protect mucus layer; (c) regulate intestinal immune system; (d) fight against oxidative stress; and (e) positively shape microbiome and metabolome.
“Natural bioactive compounds of Citrus limon for food and health”
PMID: 19748198 2009 Jul 29
Abstract: Several meta-analyses and clinical trials have reported beneficial effects of citrus spices on a variety of cancer risks, cardiovascular risk factors, neurologic disorders, urinary tract conditions, and gastrointestinal tract conditions. They have shown anxiolytic, antimicrobial, and pain-alleviating effects. Some of them can be helpful in managing obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.