Forget an apple a day to keep the doctor away, reach for an orange as a recent study shows that eating an orange a day can reduce your risk of developing late macular degeneration by as much as 60 percent. The flavonoids found in oranges provide a special protection against age-related macular degeneration.
Researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Australia reviewed the data collected from the Blue Mountains Eye Study which was conducted back in 1992 and involved people aged 49 and older and examined the impact of diet and lifestyle on health and chronic disease outcomes.
Study participants who consumed oranges on a daily basis compared to those who did not, were 60% less likely to develop the late states of macular degeneration. Oranges are high in flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants and act as an anti-inflammatory. However, researchers noted that other foods high in flavonoids did not offer the same protection again macular degeneration as the oranges did.
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