Citrus fruits, including oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemons and limes, provide good sources of many important nutrients, including vitamin C, folate and micronutrients known as phytochemicals. Despite the commonly held belief that vitamin C found in citrus fruits can help prevent or treat the common cold, no conclusive clinical evidence has proved this claim. However, consumption of citrus fruits can help prevent a variety of more serious conditions and chronic diseases.
Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
Phytochemicals, chemicals found in many brightly colored fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, may decrease your risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and a variety of cancers, including cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, colon, stomach, lung, prostate and rectum, according to the Cancer Center at the Stanford University Medical Center. Phytochemicals found in citrus fruits include biflavonoids, carotenoids and phenolics, an especially powerful type of phytochemical that may slow aging, reduce risk for tumors and heart disease and protect against inflammation, allergies and blood clots, according to the Stanford Cancer Center. Vitamin C found in citrus fruits serves as an antioxidant, preventing cells and nutrients in the body from damage by free radicals and thereby reducing cancer risks.
Anemia
Insufficient levels of iron in the body can cause iron deficiency anemia, leading to a lack of the oxygen-carrying protein known as hemoglobin. Iron deficiency anemia causes weakness, fatigue, headache, irritability, shortness of breath, sore tongue, pale skin and brittle nails. Vitamin C aids in the absorption of non-heme iron found in plant-based foods, and can help prevent or treat iron-deficiency anemia. Vegetarians who do not get heme iron from animal products should consume vitamin C with non-heme iron sources to promote better absorption.
Birth Defects
A high intake of folate, also known as folic acid, in pregnant women may prevent neural tube birth defects. Pregnant women should get at least 400 micrograms of folate per day, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or the FAO . One 225 mL glass of orange juice provides 75 micrograms of folate, notes the FAO.
Scurvy
Severe lack of vitamin C in your diet can cause scurvy, a disease associated with gum disease, anemia, general weakness and skin hemorrhages. Scurvy has become extremely rare in the United States, as a daily intake of vitamin C as low as 10 mg can prevent the condition. One medium orange provides 69 mg of vitamin C.
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