Orange Juice, Vitamin C Supplements Have Equal Antioxidant Effects

Orange Juice, Vitamin C Supplements Have Equal AntioxidantEffects

MESA, Ariz.--Drinking orange juice and taking vitamin C supplementsmay have equal effects for reducing lipid peroxidation, according to a study atArizona State University East (J Am Coll Nutr, 22, 6:519-23, 2003) (www.jacn.org).

During the random crossover study, 11 subjects between the ages of 26 and 30received either an 8 oz. or 16 oz. serving of orange juice or a vitamin Csupplement (with a dosage equivalent to an 8 oz. serving of orange juice) fortwo weeks; each treatment was preceded by a two-week washout period. During thetrial, subjects restricted fruit and vegetable intake to less than threeservings per day--except for vitamin C-rich foods (items containing more than 20mg per serving) that were restricted to less than three servings per week. Atthe end of each washout and treatment period, a fasting blood sample wascollected. Levels of vitamin C and plasma lipid peroxidation were similar foreach treatment group after each washout and treatment period, according to thestudy. All three treatments were seen to reduce lipid peroxidation compared tolevels noted prior to treatment.