The taste of citrus has always been a welcome sight in the summer. Now, “multiple studies have determined that eating citrus fruits will help ulcers and reduce the risk of stomach cancer.”

A study from South Korea’s Jeju National University School of Medicine analyzed five large population studies that tracked stomach cancer. The studies were from the U.S., the Netherlands, Europe, China and Japan. These five studies followed a combined total of over 1 million people.

The combined data from these studies lead researchers  to state that ” eating fresh citrus fruits significantly decrease the incidence of stomach cancer.” They determined that eating just 100 grams of citrus per day lessens the frequency of cardia stomach cancer by 40 percent. And the risk of any type of stomach cancer was reduced by 13 percent by citrus consumption.

An average orange is about 131 grams, so buy eating one orange a day, you can dramatically reduce the risk of stomach cancer.  Another benefit is that by eating just one orange you can reduce the risk of infection by H. pylori a bacteria that often infects the stomach wall and is associated with ulcers in many cases. Most people have H. Pylori in the gut, however the ore destructive tyoe of H. Pylori is called CagA-positive and is highly resistant to most antibiotics. Researchers from Italy’s University of Messina have studied the relationship between ulcers and H.pylori infections and have determined that the following citrus fruits fight H. pylori:

• Mandarins (Citrus reticulata)
  • Oranges (Citrus sinensis)
  • Grapefruits (Citrus paradise)
  • Lemons (Citrus lemon)
  • Satsuma Mandarins (Citrus unshiu)

The research shows that the fruits above inhibit the growth of H. pylori as well as other bacteria including E. coli, Pseudomonas and Salmonella.

So jump into summer with your daily dose of citrus to fight off ulcers and stomach cancer! Just one more reason to “eat your colors!”

For more information about this study, read the article HERE.