Citrus Bergamot: One of Nature’s Best Bets for Heart Health

Have you heard of a superfruit known as citrus bergamot? Exclusively grown in Calabria, Italy, citrus bergamot is revered by locals for its ability to promote both heart health and longevity.

And while this long-held cardiovascular health-boosting secret has supported healthy cholesterol levels for local Calabrian farmers and their families for centuries, the power of citrus bergamot remained out of reach for Americans until the 21^st century.

Now, you can find citrus bergamot supplements in many health food and vitamin stores around the U.S. But not all supplements are created equally. Keep reading to learn about the power of this fruit, the top citrus bergamot benefits for your health, and the best (and easiest!) way to get it in your diet.

What Is Citrus Bergamot?

Citrus bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is an aromatic yet bitter-tasting citrus fruit that looks like a mix of an orange and a lemon. Due to its natural taste when eaten raw, many prefer to use it as an ingredient in other foods or beverages, such as juices or even in desserts. And some choose to use it only in its bergamot essential oil form (which utilizes the peel only) or supplement form.

The major exception to this lies with local citrus bergamot farmers in Calabria, as they know the greatest health benefits come from consuming the entire fruit. In fact, one fourth-generation farmer famously shared that his family and ancestors historically consumed about one fruit per person each day to support their heart health as well as their overall well-being.

It’s no secret that citrus fruit is rich in antioxidant-supporting nutrients — and citrus bergamot is no exception. But you may be surprised to learn that this superfruit actually contains more antioxidant properties than any other citrus fruit found throughout the world. Indeed, a 2023 study showed that bergamot by-products are rich sources of antioxidant compounds on a quantitative basis, highlighting their enormous potential for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food applications.

Benefits

Here are a few other citrus bergamot benefits that explain why it’s known as the ultimate superfruit.

1. Supports heart health

Studies have shown that the antioxidant polyphenols in citrus bergamot not only support healthy cholesterol levels but also support a healthy HDL (good) cholesterol to triglyceride ratio — a factor that’s some experts believe to be significantly more predictive of having poor cardiovascular health than the level of your LDL (bad) cholesterol alone.

2. Aids your body’s cellular cleaning process

Citrus bergamot also benefits your health by activating autophagy, which is your body’s cellular self-cleaning process that promotes repair and restoration from the inside-out. Studies indicate that the fruit’s main compound, limonene, is responsible for jumpstarting this process and is most abundant in the peel of citrus bergamot.

3. Helps to cool inflammation

It’s well documented that inflammation is linked to many of the major health concerns we face today, which is why so many health experts tout the importance of keeping chronic inflammation under control. Fortunately, animal-based research has shown that citrus bergamot has the ability to help fight inflammation by inhibiting certain proteins that are known to cause or increase inflammation.

How to Get Citrus Bergamot in Your Diet

As you may recall, citrus bergamot has a naturally bitter taste when consumed raw and some of the major health benefits, such as its ability to promote autophagy, exist in the peel. This leaves one major question: What’s the best way to take advantage of all the benefits citrus bergamot has to offer? After all, this fruit is only available in its natural form in Calabria.

Today, you can access all of the incredible health benefits of citrus bergamot in the U.S. in the form of a supplement. But take heart: Not all supplements are created equally — meaning many of the citrus bergamot capsules in the market don’t offer the same benefits as consuming the entire fruit.

You want a citrus bergamot supplement that offers much more than a standardized extract. NAOMI Citrus Bergamot harnesses the power of the whole fruit — pulp and peel — through its Full Spectrum Whole Fruit Technology. It’s as close to eating the whole fruit as you can get. Plus, it features a proprietary blend of other heart health-supporting ingredients, such as resveratrol and olive leaf extract.

NAOMI Citrus bergamot contains 500 mg of pure citrus bergamot, which is the equivalent of eating one fruit. And this is the exact amount featured in clinical research that was shown to support a healthy HDL to triglyceride ratio, the healthy balance in HDL and LDL, and more to help support overall cardiovascular health.

Conclusion

• Exclusively grown in Calabria, Italy, citrus bergamot is a superfruit revered by locals for its ability to promote both heart health and longevity.
• Because citrus bergamot contains more antioxidant properties than any other citrus fruit in the world, it offers many health benefits, including supporting healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy cholesterol to triglyceride ratio, promoting autophagy, and helping to cool inflammation.
• Citrus bergamot is available in the U.S. in supplement form, but not all supplements are manufactured with the same quality. NAOMI Citrus Bergamot features Full Spectrum Whole Fruit Technology and contains 500 mg per serving — the exact amount shown to provide the greatest health benefits in clinical studies.

Naomi Whittel is an entrepreneur, a leading nutritional expert, and New York Times best-selling author. A leader and innovator in the health and wellness industry, Naomi has two decades of experience in developing and managing sustainable wellness companies, including NAOMI. Named by Prevention magazine as the nation’s leading health innovator in the natural products industry, she is a global advocate of clean and safe nutrition.