Watching what you eat is the best thing you can do to control your cholesterol levels, a vital indicator of your circulatory health. Most people associate fats and oils with cholesterol. Sugars, such as those found in canned oranges, can also affect your total blood serum cholesterol.
Triglycerides
The cholesterols most directly associated with heart health are harmful LDL and helpful HDL cholesterol. Your body produces most of these in response to your consumption of fats and oils. Your body produces triglycerides whenever you experience a rise in your blood glucose levels. This happens when you eat sugars and other simple carbohydrates. High triglyceride levels have the same effect on your circulatory health as high LDL levels, and can also indicate a risk of diabetes or obesity.
Canned Oranges
Oranges are sold canned for the same reason other fruits and vegetables get canned. It preserves the oranges for easy travel, and so people can eat them when oranges aren't in season. Most canned oranges are tangerines, or "Mandarin oranges," a smaller species originally found in East Asia. Canned oranges come packed either in their own juice, or in light syrup.
Canned Orange Nutrition Facts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides nutrition facts for both varieties of canned oranges. According to the USDA, a cup of canned oranges packed in their own juice contains about 18 g of carbohydrates, nearly all of which are simple sugars. A cup of canned oranges packed in light syrup contains about nearly 40 g of simple sugars.
Canned Oranges and Cholesterol
The high sugar content of canned oranges means they will break down quickly in your digestive tract, flooding your system with blood sugar. This can result in elevated levels of triglycerides. Although this isn't as dangerous for your cardiovascular health as LDL cholesterol, it will still raise your total cholesterol and risk for circulatory problems.
