If you eat tangerines or consume dietary citrus supplements, you may be getting enough vitamin C to keep you healthy. But did you know that the tasty fruit may also support healthy blood glucose levels, flexible arteries, and promote a healthy weight?

A team of scientists from the University of Western Ontario stated in a recent issue of the journal Diabetes that the compound nobiletin is responsible for these potential effects. The study found that mice fed a high-fat diet saw promising effects on health parameters such as blood lipids and blood glucose regulation. And they were found to gain weight at a normal rate rather than an accelerated one.

A previous report published in the journal Atherosclerosis determined that nobiletin helped maintain cholesterol levels and arterial health, while similar flavonoids from grapefruits and oranges did not. Nobiletin is found in tangerine peels, so you are unlikely to get much of it by simply eating the fruit. It may be easier to simply purchase vitamin supplements containing the compound.