Eating kiwifruit can prevent depression: study

Eating two kiwifruit a day can boost your mood and ward off depression, a new study has claimed.
Researchers from the University of Otago, Christchurch (UOC) in New Zealand studied healthy young men over a six-week period who either ate two kiwifruit a day or half a kiwifruit daily.
Researchers found those eating two kiwifruit daily experienced significantly less fatigue and depression than the other group. They also felt they had more energy.
These changes appeared to be related to the optimising of vitamin C intake with the two kiwifruit dose. Kiwifruit are an exceptional source of vitamin C.
The study was carried out with 54 young male university students who generally ate little fresh fruit and whose vitamin C levels were lower than desirable due to this.

"The two kiwifruit per day ensured that the study group's vitamin C levels were optimal, and this was needed to see an effect on mood and energy," said researcher Professor Margreet Vissers.

"The amount of vitamin C required for this is higher than the current recommended intake. Our study provides good evidence to support the view that there are measurable 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," Vissers said.
Vitamin C helps activate a number of enzymes in the body that enhance the levels of metabolic energy and different neurochemicals in the brain, Vissers said.

This means taking in more vitamin C could decrease feelings of fatigue and increase physical and mental energy.
The findings were published in the Journal of Nutritional Science.