Eat Orange Peel To Prevent Diabetes

No no, stop discarding your orange peel; it contains some important nutrients even than the inner fruit and high in polyphenols which helps prevent diabetes. Yes, orange peel is not poisonous. In fact, intake of just 6 grams of orange peel gives you 14% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C which is almost 3 times more than what the inner fruit of the same size would give. Also, 6 grams of orange peel gives 4 times more fiber than the inner fruit.

However, orange peels are edible and benefit health. Although they are not nearly as sweat as the inner fruit, but they contain good amount of beneficial nutrients. Orange peels are rich in fiber (4 times more than the inner fruit), vitamin C (nearly 3 times more than the inner fruit), limonene (This chemical protect against skin cancer), provitamin A, folate, , vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamine,  calcium (according to FoodData Centra) and orange peels are rich in polyohenols which prevent type 2 diabetes. Particularly, orange peels are a good source of the polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) and polyphenols hesperidin, both of which are being studied for their potential anticancer effects.

Diabetes is a serious, lifelong and progressive endocrine disorder which can affect the entire body. Out of the three main types of diabetes, type 2 diabetes (which is the type that may remain undetected for many years) is the most common one with 85% of all diabetes, and according to the WHO global diabetes info gram, 422 million adults have diabetes, which means that every 11^th person has diabetes.

How Polyphenols Help Prevent Diabetes

Polyphenols, of natural origin, are potential sources of various beneficial effects – anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, antihypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects. Increased consumption of foods rich in this plant based nutrient (Polyphenols) can lower the risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes according to openbiotechnologyhournal. Moderate daily consumption of orange peel could give you enough polyphenols to help prevent diabetes. Extra precautions should be made if you want to eat an orange’s peel. “Always wash well first in hot water to remove any pesticide residue and only consume small quantities as they can be hard to digest. Orange peels can be enjoyed raw in salads and smoothies, cooked to make orange marmalade, or zested to add a pop of orange color and flavor to foods.

Drawbacks

Although orange peel has good amount of nutritional benefits but there are still some certain drawbacks in its consumption. They are bitter unlike the wholesome taste of the inner fruit and they have tough outer texture which makes them hard to digest in consideration of their high fiber contents. Eating them, especially larger pieces at a time, could cause stomach discomfort, such as cramps or bloating (You can as well read this – Too Much Intake Of Orange Is Harmful). Presence of pesticides residuals on the peel is another drawback of consumption of orange peel. Pesticides are frequently used on citrus fruits like oranges to protect against mold and insects. Although the amount of pesticides found on the peel and skin of fruits is significantly small compare to the amount that could actually lead to increased cancer risk and hormones dysfunction. Nevertheless, it is still recommended to wash oranges under hot water to reduce the amount of pesticides ingested.

Summary

The nutrients (Polyphenols) found in orange peel helps to prevent type 2 diabetes and when consumed daily on moderation could lower the risk of diabetes.