3ac Health Tips

 

Carrots and oranges can lower your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

Research suggests that even modest amounts of the antioxidants found in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables can offer protection against inflammatory forms of arthritis. And all it takes to get this benefit is the equivalent of one glass of freshly squeezed orange juice a day.
 
Investigators asked 25,000 people ages 45 to 74 to fill out a questionnaire about their eating habits and then followed them over a nine-year period, during which time 88 participants developed inflammatory arthritis. The researchers found that the average daily intake of two antioxidants found in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables were lower in patients who developed arthritis than in those who did not. Specifically, they found the carotenoids beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin were 40 and 20 percent lower, respectively.
 
The study found that those in the top third of beta-cryptoxanthin intake were half as likely as those in the bottom third to develop inflammatory arthritis. Researchers also found vitamin C to be a protective factor as well.