Mandarin and orange: same potassium, nearly three times the vitamin C

The best-tested result on this page is about orange juice, and it is modest. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found that orange juice lowered LDL cholesterol by 9.14 mg/dL (95% CI 2.49 to 15.79) and fasting glucose by 2.92 mg/dL (95% CI 0.53 to 5.33) against control, in small trials of juice rather than whole fruit. We found no trial of whole mandarins in people. On the plate, the two fruits differ mostly in vitamin C. USDA samples put a navel orange at 59 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) and a seedless mandarin at 21 mg, although the mandarin figure ranges from 8.8 to 27.3 mg and comes from a single mandarin type. Potassium is the same in both, about 166 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). A blood orange extract cut body weight by 4.6 lb (95% CI 1.5 to 7.7; metric: 2.08 kg, 0.67 to 3.50) in overweight adults in a meta-analysis of only three supplement trials. That is a result for an extract in capsules or drinks made for the study, and it does not describe eating an orange.

How much is actually in it

• A navel orange averages 59 mg vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA samples, nearly three times the 21 mg of a seedless mandarin. — USDA Foundation Foods, 8 samples each: Mandarin, seedless, peeled, raw; Oranges, raw, navels (n = 8 per food) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g): navel orange 59.1 (51.8-65.6), mandarin 21.2 (8.78-27.3) mg
• Per 100 g, navel orange and mandarin carry the same potassium, about 166 mg, while orange has more fiber, 2.0 g against 1.3 g. — USDA Foundation Foods, Mandarin, seedless, peeled, raw and Oranges, raw, navels (n = 4-8 per food) Evidence E source
  Potassium: mandarin 167.2 (150-192), orange 166.0 (147-188) mg; fiber: mandarin 1.328 (0.6-1.92), orange 2.0 (1.9-2.1) g
• NIH ODS names citrus fruits among the best food sources of vitamin C and notes that heat and storage reduce it. — US diet Evidence E source
  Citrus fruits and orange juice listed as major vitamin C sources

What a real portion looks like

• US survey coding sets one tangerine (mandarin) at 109 g and 58 calories, and one orange at 154 g and 77 calories. — Tangerine, raw (FNDDS 61125010) and Orange, raw (FNDDS 61119010) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: tangerine 53 calories, orange 50 calories; 1 fruit 57.8 vs 77.0 calories

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover RCT on 37 overweight men, orange juice and a hesperidin supplement gave comparable blood and urine hesperetin exposure, and neither significantly changed blood vessel function (FMD) after 6 weeks. — Centrally overweight men, three 6-week periods (n = 37) Evidence B source
  Plasma AUC0-6h and 24 h urinary flavanones comparable for juice and supplement; FMD unchanged vs control

What cooking and storage change

• Canning fruit keeps about half of its vitamin C and folate by the USDA retention table, relevant to canned mandarin segments. — Fruits and Fruit Juices group, canned (USDA R6 code 154) Evidence E source
  Retained: vitamin C 50%, folate 50%, thiamin 80%, potassium 90%

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs found orange juice lowered LDL cholesterol by about 9 mg/dL and fasting glucose by about 3 mg/dL against control. — Adults in 10 randomized controlled trials Evidence A source
  LDL-C WMD -9.14 mg/dL (-15.79 to -2.49); total cholesterol -9.84; glucose -2.92 mg/dL (-5.33 to -0.53)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis of 51 studies on fruit juices and blood pressure drugs found grapefruit juice cut aliskiren and celiprolol levels by 80-90%, and orange and apple juice had comparable effects on some drugs. — Human pharmacokinetic studies, mostly open-label crossover Evidence C source
  Grapefruit juice: aliskiren and celiprolol AUC and Cmax down about 80-90%; orange juice comparable for certain drugs
• A review of 73 food-drug studies found orange juice significantly reduced absorption of the antifungal itraconazole. — Pharmacokinetic studies of 14 oral antifungal drugs Evidence C source
  Orange juice lowered itraconazole bioavailability; size not given in abstract
• A 2026 case report described life-threatening hyperkalemia, serum potassium 9.4 mmol/L, in a man with normal kidneys who drank large amounts of reconstituted dried orange juice powder for weeks. — One man aged 40 with normal renal function (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Serum potassium 9.4 mmol/L; resolved after stopping the drink

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 3 RCTs on 252 adults found Moro blood orange extract cut body weight by about 4.4 lb (2 kg) versus placebo, an extract result that does not transfer to eating oranges. — Overweight and obese adults in 3 RCTs (n = 252) Evidence A source
  Body weight MD -4.6 lb (-7.7 to -1.5; metric: -2.08 kg, -3.50 to -0.67); fat mass -3.4 lb (-6.4 to -0.33; metric: -1.53 kg, -2.92 to -0.15)
• The EU refused claims that orange is traditionally used for good blood circulation in small vessels or to ease heavy legs. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  Claim status non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• FDA warns that Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos may act like grapefruit juice on some medicines, a list that leaves out sweet oranges and mandarins. — People taking drugs that interact with grapefruit Evidence E source
  Seville orange, pomelo, tangelo may share grapefruit interaction

The bottom line

Pick by taste and by what you will actually eat. US survey coding counts one tangerine, its name for mandarin types, as 109 g and 58 calories, and one orange as 154 g and 77 calories. The orange has more fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g), 2.0 g against 1.3 g, though the orange figure rests on only 4 samples. Canned mandarin segments lose part of their vitamins. By the USDA retention table for canned fruit, canning keeps about half of the vitamin C and folate and 90 percent of the potassium, a group factor from 1975 that was never measured on mandarins. In a randomized crossover trial in overweight men, orange juice delivered its main flavanone to the blood about as well as a hesperidin supplement did. Over 6 weeks neither one significantly changed blood vessel function, in a short trial that included men only. The cautions we have are about medicines, and all of them concern juice. A review of pharmacokinetic studies found that orange juice significantly reduced absorption of the antifungal itraconazole, and the authors judged the overall quality of that evidence low. A meta-analysis of fruit juices and blood pressure drugs said apple and orange juice have comparable effects on certain medications, drawing on small studies that never tested whether patients came to harm. The FDA names Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos as possibly acting like grapefruit juice. That list does not clear sweet oranges or mandarins, so if a medicine of yours carries a grapefruit warning, ask your pharmacist about citrus juice as well. One case report describes dangerously high blood potassium in a man who drank large volumes of reconstituted dried orange juice powder for several weeks, a single case involving a powder concentrate. We have no cards on pregnancy, children or kidney disease for either fruit, so this page cannot speak for those groups. The EU refused to authorize claims that orange helps circulation in small blood vessels or eases heavy legs.

Sources

1. mvo-r3-01 · reference dataset
   Oranges, raw, navels: Vitamin C 59.1 MG (51.8-65.6, 8 samples); Mandarin, seedless, peeled, raw: Vitamin C 21.2 MG (8.78-27.3, 8 samples)
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
2. mvo-r3-02 · reference dataset
   Mandarin, seedless, peeled, raw: Potassium, K 167.2 MG (150.0-192.0, 8 samples); Fiber, total dietary 1.328 G (0.6-1.92, 8); Oranges, raw, navels: Potassium, K 166.0 MG (147.0-188.0, 8); Fiber, total dietary 2.0 G (1.9-2.1, 4)
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
3. mvo-r3-12 · agency fact sheet
   The best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, and Brussels sprouts. Orange juice, grapefruit juice, and tomato juice also contain large amounts of vitamin C, and vitamin C is added to some breakfast cereals.
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-02
4. mvo-r3-03 · reference dataset
   Tangerine, raw (fdc_id 2709175): Energy 53 KCAL per 100 g; 1 fruit 109 g 57.8 KCAL; Orange, raw (fdc_id 2709171): Energy 50 KCAL per 100 g; 1 fruit 154 g 77.0 KCAL
   USDA FNDDS, FoodData Central survey foods, fdc_id 2709175 and 2709171 · checked 2026-10-02
5. mvo-r3-06 · RCT
   Plasma exposure to phase II hesperetin metabolites (AUC0-6 h) and 24 h urinary excretion were comparable after OJ and HESP, indicating effective hesperidin delivery and limited matrix effects on bioavailability. Neither intervention significantly affected fasting or postprandial FMD, vascular, metabolic or anthropometric parameters, or oxylipin profiles versus CON.
   Food Funct, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
6. mvo-r3-04 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:154 FRUITS,CANNED - vitamin_c_mg 50% - folate_total_ug 50% - thiamin_mg 80% - potassium_mg 90%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), code 154 · checked 2026-10-02
7. mvo-r3-05 · meta-analysis
   Pooled results demonstrated a significant effect of orange juice on glucose (WMD: -2.92 mg/dl, 95% CI: -5.327, -0.530, p = 0.017), insulin (WMD: -1.229 μU/ml, 95% CI: -2.083, -0.374, p = 0.005), HOMA-IR (WMD: -0.464, 95% CI: -0.747, -0.181, p = 0.001), total cholesterol (WMD: -9.84 mg/dl, 95% CI: -15.43, -4.24, p = 0.001), LDL-C (WMD: -9.14 mg/dl, 95% CI: -15.79, -2.49, p = 0.007), and CRP (WMD: -0.467 mg/l, 95% CI: -0.815, -0.120, p = 0.008) compared to control group.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
8. mvo-r3-08 · meta-analysis
   Grapefruit juice (GFJ), an inhibitor of organic-anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) transporters and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, significantly decreased the AUC and Cmax of aliskiren and celiprolol by approximately 80-90 %. Conversely, the AUC and Cmax of calcium channel blockers decreased with variable degrees when co-administered with GFJ. Apple and orange juices have comparable effects on certain medications.
   Complement Ther Med, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
9. mvo-r3-09 · systematic review
   Acidic beverages such as Coca Cola substantially enhanced the absorption of itraconazole, ketoconazole, and posaconazole, whereas orange juice significantly reduced itraconazole bioavailability.
   Clin Pharmacokinet, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
10. mvo-r3-10 · case report
    Further history revealed excessive daily consumption of large volumes of a dried orange juice powder reconstituted as a beverage over several weeks.
    Cureus, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
11. mvo-r3-07 · meta-analysis
    The extract significantly reduced body weight (mean difference (MD) -2.08 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) -3.50, -0.67; I2 = 0%; p < 0.01) and fat mass (MD -1.53 kg; 95% CI -2.92, -0.15; I2 = 0%; p = 0.03)
    Nutr Health, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
12. mvo-r3-13 · registry entry
    POL-HC-6941 Citrus sinensis - common name : Orange Traditionally used for the good circulation of blood in microvessels / "Traditionally used to decrease the sensations of heavy leggs" / "Used for the good circulation of blood in microvessels" / "Helps to decrease the sensations of heavy leggs" Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6941, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
13. mvo-r3-11 · agency guidance
    Seville oranges (often used to make orange marmalade), pomelos, and tangelos (a cross between tangerines and grapefruit) might have the same effect as grapefruit juice.
    FDA, Grapefruit Juice and Some Drugs Don't Mix, consumer update, 2021 · checked 2026-10-02