A new study published in the Nutrition Research journal found that gold kiwifruit helps boost your immune system and strengthen your body’s response to infection. The study tested immune responses in mice that were given gold kiwifruit puree, the juice of the fruit, or a sugar solution. After 20 days, the mice who ate the kiwi puree had significantly higher levels of immunoglobulins while the mice that drank juice or the sugar solution had no significant difference in immunity.
Although the researchers were not able to identify a specific ingredient(s) in kiwi that help improve the immune response, they suspect that the high fiber and carotenoid content of the fruit may be responsible.
Previous research has found that the carotenoids lutein and beta-carotene help the body produce antibodies.
With flu season coming up, kiwifruit would be a smart thing to add to your diet. If you don’t like eating it plan, put the whole fruit in a blender and mix with other fruits for a smoothie.
This post was originally published as Strengthen Your Immune System with Kiwi by Laurel on Health Food blog.
