Orange peel lifesaver

We all know that fresh oranges and tangerines are good for you. But it seems we may be throwing the best bits in the bin.

Research shows that eating the tangy peels of oranges and tangerines could reduce harmful cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.

The peels have been found to contain extremely high levels of cholesterol-busting compounds called super-flavonoids, a type of anti-oxidant.

Anti-oxidants are thought to protect against heart disease by mopping up excesses of harmful chemicals as well as making the blood less likely to clot and lowering blood pressure.

Tea and red wine contain antioxidants and both drinks are recommended to help prevent heart disease.

However, the citrus peel compounds are thought to be far more powerful.

The latest research, funded by the U.S. government and published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, tested the orange and tangerine peel super-flavonoids on hamsters. A daily diet containing just one per cent super-flavonoids was enough to cut the animals' cholesterol levels by up to 40 per cent.

The cholesterol of hamsters fed with the other types of anti-oxidants also fell, but the effect took three times as long.

Lead researcher Dr Elzbieta Kurowska said the orange and tangerine peel compounds seemed to work especially well by lowering the amount of cholesterol secreted from the liver.

She said: 'Super-flavonoids have the most potential cholesterol-lowering effect of any other citrus flavonoid.

'We believe that super-flavonoids have the potential to rival or even beat the cholesterol-lowering effects of some prescription drugs, without the risk of side-effects.'

Although the super-flavonoids are found in citrus fruit juices, they are 20 times more common in peel.

Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK, claiming more than 100,000 lives a year.