Dr. Simon, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, recently conducted a survey of 13,130 men and women, which found that women who consume more oranges rich in vitamin C can prevent and reduce the occurrence of cholecystitis. Among the 19 million cholecystitis patients in the United States, two-thirds are women. The reason women are more prone to cholecystitis is that estrogen causes cholesterol to accumulate more in bile. The high neutralization of bile and cholesterol easily leads to the formation of gallstones, so the proportion of women suffering from cholecystitis is much higher than that of men.
However, eating more fruits, especially oranges, can play a significant role in reducing gallstones. This is because the vitamin C in oranges can inhibit the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids, reducing the neutralization of cholesterol with bile, which is responsible for breaking down fat. Consequently, the chance of the two accumulating to form gallstones is correspondingly reduced.