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Sicilian Blood Orange
Not only are these crimson beauties lovely to look at and delicious, we have discovered that they also help reduce skin sensitivity and damage caused by UV induced erythema, a.k.a. sunburn! They are also packed with antioxidants that help by providing cellular protection from harmful free radicals. The antioxidant properties found in Sicilian blood oranges are primarily due to the fruit’s high levels of anthocyanin, which is the same compound responsible for its beautiful deep red colour.
The blood oranges we use are derived from the juice of three highly pigmented varieties of blood oranges which are grown exclusively on the lush hillsides surrounding Mount Etna, in Sicily. These three varieties include Moro, Tarocco and Sanguinella blood oranges.
Blood oranges are also referred to as ‘red oranges’.
Research has also studied the potential impact of Sicilian blood oranges on cardiovascular health.
AVAILABLE RESEARCH
Skin Health
In this paper, researchers investigate “the effects of standardized red orange extract on DNA cleavage and it’s free radical scavenging capacity”. DNA cleavages have been found in skin that had been exposed to UV radiation. The results showed that the extract had a positive effect on both of these factors. This suggests that red orange extract “may offer excellent photoprotection for skin” helping it cope with damage caused by sunlight.
UV light exposure, and the oxidative stress that results from it, has long been studied as an etiological factor in skin aging, cancer, and other impairments. The researchers in the following paper investigate the photoprotective activity of a standardized extract from red orange (ROE) to combat these impairments. The results indicate that “ROE is potentially able to efficiently counteract UVB-induced response.” Thus, the researchers propose that “ROE as a useful natural standardized extract in skin photoprotection with promising applications in the field of dermatology.”
The aim of this study was to evaluate skin photo-protecting and anti-aging effects of supplementation with red orange extract. After only 15 days of supplementation, the researchers observed a significant reduction in UV-induced skin erythema, as well as the pigmentation of skin age spots. It was concluded that “red orange extract intake can strengthen physiological antioxidant skin defenses, protecting skin from the damaging processes involved in photo-aging and leading to an improvement in skin appearance and pigmentation."
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
Antioxidant
This study investigates the effects of short-term dietary supplementation of a standardized red orange extract (ROC) on a group of police officers who – due to their jobs – are exposed to oxidative stressors on an everyday basis. After only one month of supplementation, the subjects showed marked improvements in the symptoms they experienced from oxidative stress. The study suggest that “ROC supplementation could be useful to minimize the detrimental effects caused by sources of oxidative stress.”
In this article, researchers evaluated “the effects of short-term dietary supplementation with a standardized red orange extract on some noninvasive biomarkers of oxidative stress.” Specifically, researchers focused on athletics induced oxidative stress in a group of professional handball players. The results showed “an overall lower level of oxidative stress in the athletes examined after short-term dietary supplementation with the ROC,” suggesting that ROC might protect against the health consequences of athletics induced oxidative stress.
This study investigated whether the extract of red oranges possess antioxidant activity. Skin-derived cells that were treated with the extract showed a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of compounds that are known markers of oxidative stress.
Cardiovascular Health
This paper looks at whether the anthocyanins (AC)-rich extract from red oranges can counter the negative effects of scuba diving on endothelial function, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and heart function. To test this, a group of divers took Results show that the administration of the red orange extract “significantly reduces the potentially harmful endothelial effects of a recreational single dive”.
Additional Benefits
This paper discusses the main health-related properties of the red orange, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular protection activities. The authors state that “red orange juice demonstrates an important antioxidant activity by modulating many antioxidant enzyme systems that efficiently counteract the oxidative damage which may play an important role in the etiology of numerous diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.”
Grosso, Giuseppe, et al. "Red orange: experimental models and epidemiological evidence of its benefits on human health." Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity 2013 (2013).