Superfood kiwi – how healthy is this fruit really?

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Two kiwis a day – that’s the advice of an intestinal expert. The fruit not only stimulates digestion, but can also prevent disease.

Several times a day or just twice a week? The regularity of your bowel movements can say something about your health. Fiber is particularly important for stimulating digestion. One disadvantage is that it can cause flatulence. Intestinal problems such as flatulence and constipation affect up to a third of the population. One fruit can be beneficial in this regard.

Consuming fiber is often a vague recommendation and not always helpful due to possible discomfort, writes gastroenterologist Tricha Pasricha in the Washington Post. She suggests something else: “I have been ‘prescribing’ my patients a dose of two kiwis a day for years.” She refers to a study from 2022: The international research observed people who ate two kiwis a day for four weeks. It was found that the subjects’ digestion improved, and intestinal complaints occurred less frequently.

During their “kiwi phase,” the participants had bowel movements one to two times more often per week than before. For those who already suffer from constipation, the fruit was more effective than psyllium, which is also a popular remedy for digestive problems. The kiwi eaters also reported an improvement in their overall quality of life. On social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, various influencers and users praise the small green fruit as a digestive aid.

There are also signs that kiwis can do even more: “Although the study design was not perfect, a meta-analysis of retrospective studies on the consumption of kiwis and other fruits from 2023 found that people who ate more kiwis had a 13 percent lower risk of colon cancer,” explains Pasricha. However, she also emphasizes that further research is needed to fully understand the link between kiwi consumption and cancer risk.

To benefit from the positive effects of the fruit, you don’t necessarily have to eat the skin: “Numerous studies have found remarkable health benefits even without the skin,” writes the gastroenterologist. But if you still fancy the “skin,” you can eat it too.