Regularly eating kiwifruit can boost your mental health in as little as four days, latest research suggests.
Experts are urging people to eat a kiwi a day to ‘keep the doctor away’ after finding the fruit can improve an individual’s emotional wellbeing.
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Otherwise known as a Chinese gooseberry, kiwifruit contains high levels of vitamin C – a vitamin that is known to enhance an individual’s mental wellbeing.
According to the study, kiwifruit is more effective than vitamin C supplements for boosting an individual’s mental health.
A team of researchers from University of Otago in New Zealand analysed the health outcomes of 155 adults with low vitamin C whilst they took part in an eight-week dietary intervention.
During the study, the participants were split into three groups and either took a vitamin C supplement, placebo, or ate two kiwifruit per day.
Each participant also filled in a virtual survey to self-report their mood, sleep quality and physical activity.
The researchers have found that the participants in the kiwifruit group saw a boost in their mood in as little as four days.
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Meanwhile, those taking vitamin C supplements did not experience an improvement to their mood until day 12, the study has reported.
Senior author Dr Ben Fletcher said: “This helps us see that what we eat can have a relatively fast impact on how we feel.”
Read the study in the British Journal of Nutrition.
