Benefits of hesperidin

Hesperidin, whether ingested through citrus juice or oral supplementation, reduced the pro-inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in a non-dose-dependent manner. However, the second meta-analysis did not replicate these findings for CRP and IL-6, although it did find significant reductions in levels of the inflammatory marker vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1). Further studies are needed to validate the anti-inflammatory properties of hesperidin.

Hesperidin supplementation may significantly reduce a number of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. These benefits include lower triglyceride (TG) levels, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). However, these effects were mainly observed at doses of hesperidin greater than 500mg per day and were strongly dependent on factors such as duration of treatment, participant's BMI, age and overall health status.

Hesperidin also appears to promote blood flow. In a randomised controlled trial, it was shown that 500mg of hesperidin was taken daily for 3 weeks. Hesperidin improved blood flow by 2.5 per cent as assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, it is unclear whether these effects are long-lasting and whether they have an effect on blood pressure.

In addition, a randomised controlled trial assessed the effect of a synthetic form of hesperidin methylchalcone (HMC) on muscle damage and pain caused by delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) induced by a vigorous anaerobic exercise programme. Supplementation with HMC improved muscle recovery, performance and postural balance. The group taking HMC also showed higher physical function (measured by the number of repetitions to failure) and improvement in muscle soreness during passive palpation of the quadriceps muscle palpation, although not during activities such as walking up and down stairs.

References:

[1] JEONGTAE KIM. Benefits of hesperidin in central nervous system disorders: a review.[J]. Anatomy Cell Biology, 2019, 52 4: 369-377. DOI:10.5115/acb.19.119.