Feeling Fruity?

I’m sure all of our readers are familiar with the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Which, of course, got us musing, what about other fruit?  Well, it turns out that “An orange a day may keep strokes away!”  At least, it seems, for women.

According to a study just published in Stroke eating high amounts of citrus fruit, such as oranges and grapefruit, reduces the risk of ischemic stroke by 19%.

Researchers say the key to the reduced risk is a certain flavinoid found in citrus – flavonones. Citrus fruits and juices are the main dietary source of flavanones.

The findings were part of the Nurses’ Health Study, which included nearly 70,000 women who were followed for 14 years and reported on their dietary intake every four years.

While the risk of stroke was lower in those who ate citrus fruit, not all of the women’s flavonoid consumption came from citrus fruit. Flavonoids are also found in other types of fruit, vegetables, tea, and best news of all…dark chocolate and red wine.

This study confirms a previous findings that vitamin C and potassium, both of which are found in citrus fruits can protect against  heart disease, ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Although some experts say that further prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations, we know what we’ll be putting in our shopping carts this week.