Orange Juice Neutralizes Inflammation Prompted by Fast Foods

Fast-food meals are typified by high contents of fat and/or carbohydrates, with some previous studies suggesting that such foods promote the inflammatory process in cells and tissues.  Paresh Dandona, from State University of New York at Buffalo (New York, USA), and colleagues have identified two antioxidant compounds present in orange juice, naringenin and hesperidin, that appear to counteract the pro-inflammatory effects of fast foods.  Enrolling a group of 30 healthy men and women, ages 20 to 40 years, with a normal body weight, the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of three groups,  all of whom first completed an overnight fast, then consumed a high-fat, high-calorie breakfast (900 kcal), and either drank water, freshly squeezed orange juice, or a glucose beverage.  The team observed that levels of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) increased in all three groups, but the increase was significantly less in the subjects who consumed orange juice (47% versus 62% with water and 63% with glucose drink).  Additionally, the team observed an increase in toll-like receptors (TLR), which are implicated in inflammation, atherosclerosis, and insulin resistance, among the subjects who consumed the water and glucose drink, but not the orange juice.  The researchers conclude that: “Orange juice intake with the [high-fat, high-calorie] meal prevented meal-induced oxidative and inflammatory stress, including the increase in endotoxin and TLR expression. These observations may help explain the mechanisms underlying postprandial oxidative stress and inflammation, pathogenesis of insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis.”