Gold kiwifruit may hold iron key

Hopes are held that a new study revealing gold kiwifruit's iron-boosting benefits will be as good for Bay growers' profits as it will for people fighting anaemia.
The Massey University study found that high levels of carotenoids - yellow, orange, and red pigments in plants - and vitamin C in gold kiwifruit could help people absorb iron from their normal diet.
Regular eating of gold kiwifruit with meals that also contained iron could help people better manage their energy and iron levels, Massey researcher Dr Cath Conlon said.
"This is the first study of its type to investigate whether a vitamin C rich food was able to improve iron status in women with low iron stores," she said.
"While this study has been conducted with women who have low iron stores, it is realistic to expect that others who are at risk of iron deficiency would also benefit."
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated president Peter Ombler said any science promoting health benefits of kiwifruit was good for growers' return.
"As far as advertising and promotion goes, there's no substitute for underpinning science."
Of the recent research, Mr Ombler said: "You'd think it would result in increased sales, which is good."
The research findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition were important because iron deficiency was the main micronutrient deficiency, thought to affect more than 1.6 billion people worldwide, and was the most common cause of anaemia, Dr Conlon said.
Iron deficiency meant less oxygen was delivered to the cells, which led to fatigue, tiredness and decreased immunity.
People at highest risk of iron deficiency and anaemia included preschool children, pregnant, breast feeding and pre-menopausal women and athletes.
The study was carried out on 89 healthy women aged up to 44, with low iron stores, who were fed an iron-fortified breakfast cereal, milk with either two gold kiwifruit or a banana - known to have low levels of vitamin C - for breakfast every day for 16 weeks.
Iron levels lifted in the blood of women who ate the kiwifruit, compared with the women who ate the bananas.
A spokeswoman for Bay-based kiwifruit company Zespri said that while the study only investigated the iron-uptake properties in gold kiwifruit - which typically had more vitamin C - "there is every reason to expect a similar response from green kiwifruit".
SUPERFRUIT
Kiwifruit consistently rank at the top of fruit in nutrition density models.
Kiwifruit contain twice as much Vitamin C as oranges, and are especially high in potassium, vitamin E and folic acid compared to other fruit.
Kiwifruit are a good source of the carotenoid lutein, which is also bio-available, meaning it can help to prevent age-related deterioration of eyesight.
Kiwifruit are naturally high in antioxidants to help fight the damage cause by free radicals and oxidative stress.
Kiwifruit can help improve function of immune system.
Just two to three kiwifruit a day has been shown to reduce blood platelet aggregation, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Kiwifruit are recognised widely as a natural digestive aid.
Source: Zespri