According to research out today eating Tangerines could protect you against heart attacks, diabetes and strokes as well as staving off obesity, as they contain Nobiletin, which helps prevent these conditions.

The study was undertaken by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, in Canada, were they fed two groups of mice a high fat content diet and the other group simple sugars.

The first group that were fed the high in fat diet became obese, had elevated cholesterol, high blood levels of insulin and glucose and a fatty liver, all these symptoms increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. 

Whereas the second group of mice that were feed the simple sugars diet, which had tangerines in, gained a normal amount of weight and showed no rise in cholesterol, insulin or glucose.

Lead researcher Dr Murray Huff said: ‘The Nobiletin-treated mice were protected from obesity.