Study: Orange juice good for diabetics

Published: July 18, 2007 at 8:32 AM
Order reprints
BUFFALO, N.Y., July 17 (UPI) -- Orange juice, high in sugars, appears to be a healthy food for diabetics because of its large number of flavonoids, says a University at Buffalo study.

Flavonoids suppress destructive oxygen free radicals -- reactive oxygen species, or ROS. An overabundance of free radicals can damage all components of the cell, including proteins, fats and DNA, contributing to chronic diseases, including heart disease and stroke as well as diabetes, according to senior author Dr. Paresh Dandona, of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical.

The study involved 32 healthy participants between the ages

of 20 and 40, of normal weight, who were assigned randomly into groups, who drank 300 calories-worth of glucose, fructose, orange juice or saccharin-sweetened water.

There was no increase in ROS or inflammation following orange juice consumption, even though its glucose concentration was the same as in participants in the glucose group, according to the study published in Diabetes Care.

An additional test found neither fructose nor vitamin C suppressed the oxygen free radicals, however the two types of flavonoids in orange juice -- hesperetin and naringenin -- inhibited ROS generation by 52 percent and 77 percent, respectively.


© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



'Slumdog' child star enjoying new home (<1 min)
No pardon for Khodorkovsky in works (5 min)
College grads aid Chinese farmers (7 min)
Report: Jackson may be buried in concrete (9 min)
Former Beatles manager Klein dead at 77 (14 min)
Anglican bishop: Gays must repent (23 min)
Living statues coming to London square (28 min)
Photoshop this rugged race
Afghanistan as a major tourist destination? The tag says it all
If you've been getting unemployment in Indiana, and haven't put on your really, truly bestest effort...
63 years ago today, the bikini was introduced
Sarah Palin has apparently hired someone with a GED in Law, threatens to sue bloggers for defamation...
If you have a beer belly, blame your dad, not all the beer you've been drinking since you were 14...