Have a Heart to Heart With a Kiwi

Here on the FFTO blog, we’ve looked into many superfruits or ‘hidden gems’ as we like to call them. This week we stumbled across another one.

We’ve always thought that kiwi’s were special, but it turns out that the luminous green fruits have more to offer than delicious flesh that is joyfully devoured with a spoon. Kiwis are the latest fruit to join the superfruit club due to their heart related benefits, so are definitely something that should be added to your regular fruit delivery.

In a recent study in Taiwan, 13 men and 30 women took part in an experiment to test the health benefits of eating kiwis. Each of the participants had high cholesterol and were instructed to eat 2 kiwis every day for 8 weeks.

Blood tests were taken at the beginning and the end of the experiment and scientists found the following results in the subjects.

·         There was an increase in good cholesterol

·         There was a decrease in bad cholesterol

·         There was a boost in vitamin C and E levels

Another study in Norway found that eating kiwis regularly could help to improve the health of your heart. Scientists found that eating 2-3 kiwis a day lowered triglyceride (bad fatty acids) levels by 15%

Kiwis also contain lutein which is a brilliant antioxidant and is thought to help lower blood pressure – something that we all need if we want to maintain a healthy heart.

Obviously eating a couple of kiwis isn’t going to cure all heart related ails, however along with exercise and a good diet, they may help to prevent them in the future.