kiwi benefits, kiwi side effects
kiwi benefits for skin, kiwi benefits for hair
Kiwi
Kiwi fruit history began in the Yang-tse river valley in China, where it was called "Yangtao." The Yangtao was considered
a delicacy by the court of the great Khans who cherished its delicious flavor and emerald-green color. The small, brown,
fuzzy "Yangtao" fruit grew wild on vines that wrapped around trees. Between 1800 and 1900, samples of the fruit and
seeds were sent to England and other countries.

Kiwi fruit can be medium or small in size. They are brown and fuzzy on the outside and bright green on the inside with tiny
black seeds. Kiwi fruit is a member of the botanical family Actinidia and there are 400 different varieties. Kiwi fruit offers
lots of health benefits probably because it is high in antioxidant vitamin C and a good source of fiber, vitamin E and
potassium. It is fat free, sodium free and cholesterol free. In the next section, we are going to discuss what health benefits
that kiwi may provide to us.
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Kiwi Benefits

Kiwi Benefits - Asthma?
Kiwi is a vitamin C-rich fruit. In 2000, a study in Italy reported the consumption of fruit rich in vitamin C (including kiwi fruit),
even at a low level of intake, may reduce wheezing symptoms in childhood. [A3] Since then this news has been spread out
through out the internet. A few websites even claim that kiwi may offer a "significant protective benefits" against
respiratory issues including asthma. In fact, Palacin A and co-workers from Ingenieros Agrónomos, UPM, noticed kiwi fruit
ingestion elicited oral allergy syndrome in 7 of the 20 patients (35%) with baker's asthma. [A1] Rancé F and Dutau G.,
hôpital des Enfants, France, also reported that respiratory symptoms can be oral allergy syndrome, and kiwi fruit is one of
the offending foods. [A2] Again, Diez-Gomez ML and co-workers at Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, reported a
clinical and immunologic study in a patient with perennial asthma caused by F. benjamina latex in whom several episodes
of angioedema of the oropharyngeal tract and tongue followed ingestion of figs and kiwi. [A3]The benefit claim of kiwi on
asthma is really insufficient.

Kiwi Benefits - Age-related macular degeneration?
A study suggests eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration, since
then, claim of Kiwi's benefits on age-related macular degeneration is also circulated over the internet. There is only one
basic study about the potential health benefits of kiwi on human eyes. It has been suggested that eating green leafy
vegetables, which are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, may decrease the risk for age related macular degeneration. Though
kiwi fruit contains substantial amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, egg yolk and maize (corn) contained the highest mole
percentage of lutein and zeaxanthin. [A4] But, I won't eat too many egg yolks, as I am afraid of high cholesterol. I'd rather
to eat vegetables and fruits with different color to get more lutein and zeaxanthin.

Kiwi benefits for hair
There is no scientific support that kiwi fruit benefits hair growth, as of September 08, 2011.

Kiwi benefits for skin
Kiwifruit is an important cause of food allergy. The isolated kiwi fruit allergens induced positive skin prick test results.
Otherwise, the scientific support for this claim of benefits on skin is insufficient. (as of September 08, 2011).
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Then what benefits that kiwi fruit actually have?

Kiwi benefits - anti-cancer
Japanese scientists extracted Kiwi gold fruits into factions with various solvents; these fractions showed selective cytotoxic
activity against human oral tumor cell lines. More hydrophilic fractions of 70% methanol extract even displayed higher
anti-HIV, radical generation and O2- scavenging activities while more lipophilic fractions generally have higher
anti-bacterial activities. [2]

Kiwi benefits - reduction of platelet aggregation
Besides its potential benefits of anti-cancer activities, researchers from Norway found that consuming two or three kiwi
fruit per day for 28 days reduced platelet aggregation. In addition, consumption of kiwi fruit lowered blood triglycerides
levels by 15% compared with control. Thus, consumption of kiwi may have benefits on heart. [3] Note, kiwi can interact
other medications, this benefit will become an unwanted side effect.

Kiwi benefits - lipid profile
In a study of healthy subjects, consumption of kiwi fruit lowered blood triglycerides levels by 15% compared with control (P
< 0.05), whereas no such effects were observed in the case of cholesterol levels.

Kiwi Benefits- a natural meat tenderizer
Kiwifruit could also be used as a natural meat tenderizer. It is because kiwi fruit contains an enzyme called Actinidin. Just
cut in half and rub kiwi fruit over the meat, or peel and mash with a fork then spread it on the surface of the meat and let
stand for 10 to 15 minutes or longer. The enzyme Actinidin also breaks down protein in dairy products. That's why when
kiwi fruit is combined with low fat ice cream, yogurt, or sour cream, it's best to serve and eat it right away.

Side Effect of Kiwi
MedMD.com (September 7, 2011) states kiwi seems to be safe for most people when used in food amounts. In people
who are allergic to kiwi, it can cause allergic side effects such as trouble swallowing, vomiting, and hives. Allergy to kiwi
fruit was first described in 1981. The allergy covers a wide range of symptoms from localized oral allergy syndrome to
life-threatening anaphylaxis. [1]

Wellness.com (September 7, 2011) reports the side effects of kiwi can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dysphagia, and
collapse.

[1] Lucas JS et al, Kiwi fruit allergy: a review, Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2003 Dec; 14(6):420-8. [2] Motohashi N et al,
Cancer prevention and therapy with kiwifruit in Chinese folklore medicine: a study of kiwifruit extracts. J Ethnopharmacol.
2002 Aug; 81(3):357-364. [3] Duttaroy AK et al, Effects of kiwi fruit consumption on platelet aggregation and plasma lipids
in healthy human volunteers. Platelets. 2004 Aug;15(5):287-92.[A1] Palacin A, Quirce S, Sánchez-Monge R,
Fernández-Nieto M, Varela J, Sastre J, Salcedo G. Allergy to kiwi in patients with baker's asthma: identification of potential
cross-reactive allergens. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Aug;101(2):200-5. [A2] Rancé F, Dutau G. Asthma and food
allergy: report of 163 pediatric cases, Arch Pediatr. 2002 Aug;9 Suppl 3:402s-407s [A3] Forastiere F, Pistelli R, Sestini P,
Fortes C, Renzoni E, Rusconi F, Dell'Orco V, Ciccone G, Bisanti L. Consumption of fresh fruit rich in vitamin C and
wheezing symptoms in children. SIDRIA Collaborative Group, Italy (Italian Studies on Respiratory Disorders in Children
and the Environment). Thorax. 2000 Apr;55(4):283-8. [A3] Díez-Gómez ML, Quirce S, Aragoneses E, Cuevas M. Asthma
caused by Ficus benjamina latex: evidence of cross-reactivity with fig fruit and papain. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1998
Jan;80(1):24-30. [A4] Sommerburg O, Keunen JE, Bird AC, van Kuijk FJ. Fruits and vegetables that are sources for lutein
and zeaxanthin: the macular pigment in human eyes. Br J Ophthalmol. 1998 Aug;82(8):907-10. [A5] Duttaroy AK,
Jørgensen A. Effects of kiwi fruit consumption on platelet aggregation and plasma lipids in healthy human
volunteers.Platelets. 2004 Aug;15(5):287-92.
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