10 health facts about kiwifruit
Most people associate kiwifruit with New Zealand, which is the leading producer of the fruit. However, they originate from China, and until the 1960s, were known as 'Chinese gooseberries'.
These furry fruits were introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s, where they were named after the country's unique bird.
There have been numerous studies on the nutritional and health benefits of kiwifruit. Here are some facts, shared by Zespri, one of the leading producers of kiwifruit.
1. Kiwifruit are the nutrition powerhouse of fruit
Kiwifruit consistently rank at the top of fruit in nutrition density models, which tell us exactly how nutritious foods are. That means you get more vitamins and minerals per gram, and per calorie, of kiwifruit than most other fruit.
2. Kiwifruit are rich in vitamin C
While everyone always thinks of oranges for vitamin C, they should actually think of kiwifruit - there is twice as much vitamin C in kiwifruit as there are in oranges! So much, in fact, you only need one kiwifruit each day to get the amount recommended for your daily intake.
3. Kiwifruit are especially high in other vitamins compared to other fruit
Vitamin E
It's quite unusual for a low fat food - let alone fruit - to be a good source of vitamin E, which is well-known for its heart health and antioxidant properties. However, kiwifruit is a great low-fat, natural source of vitamin E.
Folic Acid
Kiwifruit are a natural source of folic acid which is needed to prevent cardiovascular disease, help brain and cognitive development and prevent neural defects in babies - both before and during pregnancy.
Potassium
Kiwifruit has about the same levels of potassium as bananas but only half the calories - making kiwifruit an excellent low-sodium, high-potassium fruit which can be beneficial in the maintenance of blood pressure and for heart health.
4. Kiwifruit are a good source of the carotenoid lutein
Not only does it have one of the highest concentrations of lutein in fruits - but the lutein in kiwifruit has recently been shown to be highly bio-accessible. This means it can actually do good things such as help to prevent age-related deterioration of eyesight.
5. Kiwifruit are naturally high in antioxidants (e.g. polyphenols, carotenoids) and other potentially beneficial phytochemicals including some unique enzymes. Eating kiwifruit helps you to obtain your daily intake of antioxidants to help fight the damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.
6. Kiwifruit can help improve the function of your immune system
Kiwifruit gives you natural protection from daily challenges, helping you to ward off the effects of stress, inflammation and attack from bacteria and viruses. Recent and ongoing trials have shown kiwifruit to be high effective at beneficially modulating the immune system.
7. Kiwifruit helps improves repair of damaged DNA
Eating just two kiwifruit a day has been proven to reduce the amount of oxidative damage to your cells and improve the repair of damaged DNA caused by oxidative stress. This has been shown in human studies both in New Zealand and Europe.
8. Kiwifruit reduces oxidative stress caused by high-fat meals
Eating kiwifruit with your meal reduces the oxidative stress on your body caused by the meal - especially if it is high in fat.
Researchers in the United States found that people who ate kiwifruit with or after a meal had a significant reduction in the markers of oxidative stress.
9. Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease
Eating just 2-3 kiwifruit a day has been shown to reduce blood platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease - it contributes to arterial and blood vessel blocking.
10. Kiwifruit help to relieve constipation
It is widely recognised as a natural digestive aid due to its unique combination of fibre and other components.
