Kiwi Fruits, One of the Richest Sources of Nutrients for Body

Aside form being a delicious berry, the health benefits of Kiwi fruit makes it even more favorable to eat. Kiwi was the national fruit of China and was referred to as Chinese gooseberry. Some years back New Zealand started growing Kiwi commercially and thus the name changed. There are many health benefits of kiwi that we can savor aside from its sweet slushy flavor.

Kiwi fruit has a brown outer peel and is oval in shape. The approximate weight of each fruit is 125 grams and is it has soft and juicy green colored pulp inside.

Kiwi fruits are rich in many Vitamins, flavonoids and minerals. In particular, they contain a high amount of Vitamin C (more than oranges), as much potassium as bananas and a good amount of beta-carotene.

Studies in Italy, though, performed on 6-7 year old children, have also demonstrated additional health benefits to the respiratory tract. In particular, children that were fed 5-7 portions a week of citrus and kiwifruits had 44% less probability wheezing compared to children eating less than once a week.

Shortness of breath was reduced by 32%, night time cough by 27%, severe wheeze by 41%, chronic cough by 25%, and runny nose by 28%. This result is not only traceable to the content in Vitamin C or Potassium, but in substances which are still largely unknown contained in kiwi fruit.

These substances are most likely flavonoids that help protect our cells from oxidative damage, and are therefore considered very helpful in protecting our DNA from mutations and damage.

Protection from Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)

A series of studies published by the Archives of Ophthalmology have proven that consuming 3 or more servings of fruit per day (including kiwi fruits) can reduce by 36% the risk of developing an eye-related disease called ARMD (the primary cause of vision impairment in adults), if compared to people who only consume 1.5 servings of fruit per day.

The study was conducted on 110.000 women and men and lasted several decades.

Anti Oxidant properties of Kiwi Fruit

It is important to note that kiwi fruits contain a remarkable amount of Vitamin C, E and A. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that has been proven to protect our body from free radicals, dramatically improving the health of individuals who consumed it regularly against all kinds of disease, from cardiovascular problems to cancer and obesity.

Vitamin E has been proven to have similar effects, but is fat-soluble and thus is complimentary to Vitamin C in its functions. Kiwi fruits contain both these vitamins in high amount, which help protect our body against free radicals from all fronts.

Kiwi fruits have high fiber content

The high content in dietary fiber helps improving diseases such as diabetes, by controlling sugar levels, and colon cancer, since fiber binds to toxic compounds in the colon and helps us expel them.

Fiber has also been proven to reduce cholesterol levels, improving the conditions of patients with cardiovascular diseases and lowering the probability of heart attacks.

Manage blood pressure: It is a very rich source of healthy electrolyte potassium. Potassium plays a major role in body cells by keeping the body fluids and electrolyte in balance, which helps control heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.

Good for skin:

Boosts immunity: Due to its extremely high vitamin C content and its complement of antioxidant compounds, kiwi has proven to be an immune booster.

Sources:

kiwi-fruit.info

lifemojo.com

Other links:

Spinach, One of the Top 5 Healthy Vegetables for Body (Part 1)

Spinach, One of the Top 5 Healthy Vegetables for Body (Part 2)

Coconut Oil for Beautiful Skin and Hair (Part 1)

Coconut Oil for Beautiful Skin and Hair (Part 2)

Pears is a Hypo-allergenic Fruit