Over 50? An orange a day keeps the doctor away

An orange a day could keep the doctor away in the most unusual way.

For most people eating an orange would seem like a healthy snack and a good way to get a dose of Vitamin C. Both of those are true, but the benefits may also include keeping more of your muscle mass longer.

Having more muscle mass is vital to health. Here are three facts about our muscles that are undeniable including:

First, that loss of muscle mass has a health cost. How much muscle mass you have should be considered a vital sign, check yours here.

Second, that with age and inactivity comes a loss of muscle mass. You don’t have to get weaker, but it takes a little effort to maintain your muscle mass.

Third, more muscle makes you more efficient at doing any activity and at burning calories for fuel.

What about the orange?

New research on more than 13,000 people showed that for men and women over 50 years old, eating more Vitamin C results in maintaining more muscle mass. The researchers found that for men and women who had the most Vitamin C in their blood also had the most skeletal muscle.

They also found that of the European men and women between 42-82 years old that were studied 60% of the men and 50% of the women were deficient in Vitamin C.

These findings suggest that more Vitamin C, the equivalent of eating an orange a day, could prevent age-related muscle loss.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla