Posts Tagged “vitamin c”
Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago, Christchurch have found that daily consumption of two kiwifruit can significantly lift a person’s mood and energy levels.
In a study that was published in the Journal of Nutritional Science (JNS), the effects of the fruit on a group of 54 healthy young male university students was monitored over six weeks, with one group consuming two kiwifruit per day and the other consuming half a kiwifruit daily.
Those with higher consumption experienced significantly less fatigue and depression than the other group, and felt they had more energy.
Scientists inferred this was likely related to the two kiwifruit dose optimizing vitamin C intake, as the sample group had a low fruit consumption beforehand.
The research used a gold variety of kiwifruit.
Professor Margreet Vissers and her team from the UOC’s Centre for Free Radical Research are involved in a large on-going study to better understand the critical role of vitamin C in the human body.
“Our study provides good evidence to support the view that there are measureable health benefits to be obtained from eating a good amount of fruit and vegetables daily. For best benefit, it is important to include high vitamin C foods in your daily diet,” she said in a release.
Vissers said vitamin C helped activate a number of enzymes in the body that enhanced the levels of metabolic energy and different neurochemicals in the brain.
The study was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as well as the University of Otago and kiwifruit marketer Zespri International.
Besides being one of the better priced items in your produce deparment 
this year, a new study touts the benefits of eating kiwifrut..
Kiwifruit have long thought to be a nutritional powerhouse. But a new nutritional analysis published in the peer reviewed journal Nutrition Today further verifies that fact. The author of the paper, Dr. Keith Singletary, Professor Emeritus of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, found that in addition to its antioxidant benefits, kiwi fruit can also help the digestive tract and even your skin.
“Potential benefits include a rich source of antioxidants, improvement in gastrointestinal laxation, lowering of blood lipids, and alleviation of skin disorders,” as stated in the published paper titled, “Kiwifruit: Overview of Potential Health Benefits.”
The Nutrition Today paper stated that kiwifruit is also a rich source of vitamin C as well as folate, potassium and dietary fiber. The paper cited ongoing, preliminary research that is investigating other possible health benefits associated with kiwi consumption. “The fruit’s content of nutrients and biologically active phytochemicals has stimulated investigations into its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions that might then help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer and other degenerative disorders.”
The California kiwifruit growers, as a member of the International Kiwifruit Organization (IKO), partnered with other kiwifruit growers around the world in conducting the research that further affirms these known potential nutritional benefits of consuming kiwifruit.
California represents 98% of U.S. kiwifruit production or about one-third of all the fresh kiwifruit supplies in the United States during the season. California farmers produce up to eight million trays of the nutritious fruit from September to May with its primary production in October and November. As domestic production from California has increased, kiwifruit has become an increasingly popular fruit for Americans.
The 2012/13 crop is well on its way into the growing season and the mild summer weather California has experienced thus far is sure to promote good size and great flavor.
The full Nutrition Today article can be viewed here.
Source: California Kiwifruit Growers