Research shows that too much orange juice may lead to skin cancer
Posted on: 07/Jul/2015 9:34:26 AM
A new study by the Brown University has shown that too much consumption of citrus juice, from fruits such as grapefruit and orange, results in melanoma or skin cancer. The result was a dietary assessment of over 100000 Americans. It was found that 36% of those who had citrus juices 1.6 times daily had a higher risk of getting skin cancer when compared to those who drank these juices less than twice per week. The paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The lead study author was Dr. Shaowei Wu, who is a post doctoral research fellow at the Department of Dermatology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. ‘The apparent link between melanoma and citrus fruit consumption may be due to high levels of substances called furocoumarins found in citrus fruits.
Prior research showed that furocoumarins make the skin more sensitive to sunlight, including to melanoma-causing ultraviolet (UV) rays... While our findings suggest that people who consume large amounts of whole grapefruit or orange juice may be at increased risk for melanoma, we need much more research before any concrete recommendations can be made. At this time, we don`t advise that people cut back on citrus - but those who consume a lot of grapefruit and/or orange juice should be particularly careful to avoid prolonged sun exposure’, said Dr. Wu. ‘The levels of furocoumarins may be higher in whole fruit than in processed juices. (We) suspect that the significant effect of orange juice on melanoma risk can be explained by its consumption level, which was several times higher than any other citrus product... There was no significant association between other furocoumarin-rich foods, such as carrots and celery, and melanoma risk. People often cook these vegetables, and heat treatment reduces the amount of furocoumarins in food.’
