"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

We all know the old saying, but maybe it's time for a change of fruit.

New research published in the journal Stroke has me thinking we should revise it to, "An orange a day keeps the doctor away."

At least for women, that is.

According to the research, eating high amounts of oranges and grapefruit may help women avoid stroke, with a 19 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke than women who consumed the least amount.

The secret is a certain flavonoid in citrus: flavonones.

Researchers pored over 14 years of follow-up data from a study of 69,622 women who reported their food intake. They found that, while flavonoids in general didn't have much of a connection to stroke risk, the sub-class flavonones did. The consumption of the flavonones came mostly from oranges and orange juice (82 percent) and grapefruits and grapefruit juice (14 percent).

Though juices can be a good source of flavonones, they also contain a lot of sugar. So if you want to take advantage of this finding, you'll want to do so by eating more oranges and grapefruits rather than drinking their juices.

This study confirms a previous finding that citrus, but not other fruits, protected against ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.

"I don't know about you, but I know what's going on my grocery list!

Related articles of interest:

A stroke while you sleep

Top 21 Natural Remedies For High Blood Pressure

Add more of “This” Color to Your Cart to Ward Off Stroke

The “Bodybuilders’ Secret” to Lowering Your Blood Pressure

Printer-friendly version