Orange and grapefruit peel - are they healthy af?

#1

Just get organic oranges and eat the peel

It’s a lot to handle if grapefruit. Just tiny nibbles

I eat avocado peel but it has NOTHING on orange peels…

Orange peels are nature’s ozempic

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#2

I don’t know if citrus peel is nature’s ozempic, but I have been consuming citrus peel daily for a little bit over two years now. The amounts are: usually peel from two mandarins plus one quarter of peel from one orange. I don’t know what the exact effects are, but no effect on weight or appetite (I’ve always been slim though). It does seem to possibly help with keeping me regular, though I’ve always been regular. No grapefruit peel.

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#3

I meant to eat the grapefruit peel this last weekend but I forgot. I will do it eventually just to claim I’m a crazy mofo

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#4

Lol, you’re a stronger man than I am! Grapefruit is a bridge too far for me. I did some research on citrus peels, which is why I eat them (gastrointestinal health, anti-cancer etc.), but I have not come across much data about grapefruit peel.

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#5

Then what are you doing it for? What are the benefits?

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#6

There is a lot of research showing benefits of citrus peel consumption for cancer, intestinal health, GERD and so on

but I take it for skin health. I’m of northern european extraction, and have had several episodes of extensive sunburn as a kid (vacations in Greece and falling asleep at the beach etc.). I now live in sunny Southern California. In 2011 I had to have a small BCC removed from my back, and thankfully nothing since, but have to have a full derma exam every 6 months. Apparently citrus peel consumption is associated with less skin cancer:

Given that with age the rates of skin cancer go up drastically, I try to do all I can to prevent it (clothing cover, sunglasses, wide-brim hat), through diet and supplements (lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin). I do consume citrus fruit daily (one mandarin, half an orange), but avoid juices as these can have a bad effect on skin cancer.

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#7

Not sure about healthy, but when I was googling information about grapefruit - trying to figure out how to maximise rapamycin absorbtion - i came across information that the peels contain high amounts of furanocoumarins.

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#8

This study found that a water extract of orange peels, feruloylputrescine, significantly inhibits the enzyme responsible for producing TMA, and thus TMAO.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09005
Note that Choline, carnitine, and BCAA are converted to trimethylamine (TMA) by intestinal bacteria, which is then absorbed and converted by the liver into TMAO, a substance which ends up causing inflammation, and has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

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#9

Now and again i eat a whole lime, but am careful to rinse my teeth afterwards to clear the naked protons. (H+ ions, acid)

Also if my wife gets a slice of lemon or lime in a drink she lets me eat it whole (inc peel)

There was an interesting paper recently pointing to aging being linked to an increase in naked protons.

OTOH a couple of protons dressed appropriately in a couple of electrons has merit (Molecular Hydrogen).

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#10

Also:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09005

BUT, tracking down I found this:

“With help from a $500,000 USDA grant, Yu Wang and her team investigated the potential of orange peel extracts – rich in beneficial phytochemicals – to reduce TMAO and trimethylamine (TMA) production. Scientists tested two types of extracts: a polar fraction and a non-polar fraction.”

Florida. USDA grant. Proceed with caution.

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