Tangerines are sweet, affordable and in season, and now there’s another reason to stock up on this juicy fruit. Researchers from the University of Western Ontario have discovered that a tangerine flavonoid, nobiletin, appears to help prevent obesity and protect against Type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis, the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

When the researchers fed mice a “Western” diet high in fats and simple sugars, they became obese, showing all the signs associated with metabolic syndrome: elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood levels of insulin and glucose, and fatty livers. A second group of mice—fed the same unhealthy diet, but with nobiletin added—experienced no symptoms of metabolic syndrome and gained weight normally. Ingesting nobiletin also prevented the buildup of fat in the liver by stimulating genes that help burn excess body fat, while inhibiting genes
responsible for manufacturing it.