Oranges, grapefruits and other members of the citrus family are bursting with nutrients that support your immune system and help your body heal.

Here are their top health benefits.

Their vitamin C content is worth the hype

Citrus fruits are famous for their high vitamin C content — and for good reason.

One navel orange contains 83 milligrams of vitamin C and one half of a red grapefruit contains about 46. Both can go a long way in helping you meet the 75 to 90 milligrams recommended daily.

Vitamin C plays an important role in your immune system, says Natalie Allen, a dietitian and clinical associate professor of nutrition at Missouri State University. The vitamin — considered an essential nutrient because your body can’t make it by itself — helps to form the cells that make up your immune system, she says. It also aids those cells in locating and fighting infections.

Vitamin C contributes to wound healing and tissue growth, too, so it keeps your skin, muscles and blood vessels healthy, Allen says. And the nutrient helps your body absorb “non-heme iron”, which is iron from plant-based foods like lentils and spinach.

They won’t cure your cold, but they might shorten it

There’s no evidence that vitamin C can cure seasonal illnesses, says Alex Kojo Anderson, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Georgia.

“If you have a cold now and you take vitamin C, it’s not going to have much impact,” he says.

But regularly meeting your recommended daily dose of vitamin C (including on days when you’re healthy) can help your immune system do its job, which can shorten the length of a cold when you do get one. One 2013 meta-analysis found that consuming at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C daily helped people kick the common cold about 8 per cent faster.

The analysis focused on vitamin C from supplements, not from citrus fruits, but Anderson says it’s best to get your vitamin C through whole fruits. When you eat a whole fruit, you’re also getting other nutritional benefits — think gut-friendly fibre, hydrating water and other micronutrients — that you won’t find in powders, gummies or tablets.

They may help lower inflammation

Chronic inflammation can raise your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The vitamin C in citrus is an antioxidant that helps limit this inflammation, says Christiane Meireles, a dietitian and clinical associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio.

Citrus fruits also contain other compounds, like carotenoids, that may act as antioxidants. This adds to their anti-inflammatory benefits, Meireles says.

How to enjoy them

Choose oranges over orange juice: Whole fruits are your best bet when it comes to maximising nutrients. When you juice a citrus fruit, you end up losing much of its beneficial fibre, Meireles says. And because it takes several pieces of fruit to produce a glass of juice, you typically consume more sugar and calories when you drink it.

Be wary of medication interactions: Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with some medicines by blocking an enzyme that helps metabolise certain drugs. As a result, more of the drug enters your bloodstream, increasing the risk of side effects. In other cases, including with common thyroid medications, grapefruit can have an opposite effect, blocking the drug’s absorption. If you take prescription medications, Allen recommends asking your doctor before consuming grapefruit.

Don’t ditch the peels: Some research suggests the citrus oils in the peel’s outer layer contain their own antioxidants that may benefit your health, Meireles says. Adding citrus zest to a dish can help you tap these potential benefits.

New York Times