The kiwi, a nutrient-dense fruit with almost no fat and only 42 calories, is more than a delicious, healthy snack. Eating two to three kiwis per day could protect you from an array of eye diseases, including cataracts, and vision loss from macular degeneration. Its mineral content offers benefits to your nervous system and circulatory functions as well. It pairs well with other fruits in fruit salad or smoothies, and you can add it to salsa or your cereal for extra nutrients.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Nearly 2 million people in the United States suffer from vision loss related to macular degeneration, a deterioration of the retina that is often associated with age, according to Dr. Sherri Nordstrom Stastny, Ph.D., LRD, and Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., LRD, of North Dakota State University. The center of your retina, your macula, is made of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids related to beta-carotene. Your body uses these phytochemicals to make vitamin A. One cup of kiwi contains 220 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help rebuild your macula and prevent this disease.
Copper, which is contained in trace amounts in many foods, is an important mineral for the healthy function of the nervous system, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. A cup of kiwi provides about 20 percent of your recommended daily intake for copper, making it an unusually rich source of that mineral compared to other fruits. Maintaining an optimal nervous system improves the function of your retina, the part of your eye that contains the nerves that convert images into electrical impulses for your brain to interpret.
Antioxidants play a role in preventing eye disease. A cup of sliced kiwi contains 167 milligrams of vitamin C, twice the amount of that nutrient that an orange provides. Because vitamin C and other antioxidants help repair damaged cells and promote the growth of new cells, researchers at the National Eye Institute believe that a high intake of vitamin C may help prevent cataracts from forming in older adults. The Institute is conducting a series of studies testing the role of vitamin C in vision health.
Healthy Fats Aid Vitamin Absorption
Lutein and zeaxanthin are fat-soluble carotenoids. Although kiwi contains slightly more fat than other fruits due its seed and seed oil content, it still has a nearly negligible amount of fat. To help your body absorb the kiwi's fat-soluble nutrients properly, North Dakota State University recommends eating a small amount of a food containing omega-3 fats, such as walnuts, certain fish or flax, with the kiwi.
- North Dakota State University: Eating For Your Eye Health
- Texas A and M University: Kiwi fruit - The Power Packed Fruit
- United States Department of Agriculture: Nutrient Database: Kiwi, Green, Raw
- National Eye Institute: Randomized Trials of Vitamin Supplements and Eye Disease
- Linus Pauling Institute: Copper
- kiwi fruit image by Ni Chun from Fotolia.com