Eating kiwi can boost your mental health in just four days, claim university researchers

Kiwi fruit can provide a 'pick me up' when feeling low within just four days, a new study has revealed.

The green soft fruit has proven itself as a powerful mood booster, which researchers believe provides an accessible way for people to support their mental well-being. It is packed with vitamin C which has been previously associated with improved mood, vitality, well-being, and lower depression.

The team, from the University of Otago, New Zealand, set out to assess how quickly mood improvements occur after introducing vitamin C supplements or whole food sources. To get their results they conducted an eight-week dietary intervention of 155 adults with low vitamin C.

Participants took either a vitamin C supplement, placebo, or two kiwi fruit daily then reported their vitality, mood, flourishing, sleep quality, sleep quantity, and physical activity using smartphone surveys.

The results, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that kiwi fruit supplementation improved vitality and mood within four days, peaking around 14-16 days, and improved flourishing from day 14. Vitamin C supplements, on the other hand, marginally improved mood until day 12.

Professor Tamlin Conner, from the department of psychology, said: "It’s great for people to know that small changes in their diet, like adding kiwi fruit, could make a difference in how they feel every day. The use of intensive smartphone surveys offers a real-time understanding of the day-to-day changes in mood-related outcomes."

The authors also note that, although the vitamin C tablets did make some mood improvements, vitamin-C rich foods are much more beneficial. Lead author Dr Ben Fletcher added: "This helps us see that what we eat can have a relatively fast impact on how we feel.

"Our participants had relatively good mental health to begin with so had little room for improvement, but still reported the benefits of kiwifruit or vitamin C interventions. We encourage a holistic approach to nutrition and well-being, incorporating various nutrient-rich foods into your diet."