A Kiwi a Day

When the oranges are golden, physicians’ faces grow pale.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

There is a reason why we are told to eat more fruit. Study after study has shown that apples do keep the doctor away—as do oranges, melons, berries, kiwis, and virtually every other fruit. In fact, fruit—ideally, four to five servings a day—may be the best medicine money can buy.

Fruit and health

Fruit is generally considered to be the edible product of a plant or tree that includes the seed and its envelope. Along with being sweet and tasty, fruits are packed with substances that enhance health. More than any other food group, fruits offer a dense package of nutrients with few calories and virtually no fat. The average fruit serving has only 60 calories, and most fruits contain less than 1 percent fat. (Avocados, with 30 grams of fat in a medium-sized fruit, are a notable exception.)

The water content of most fruits (greater than 70 percent) makes them juicy and refreshing; the natural sugar in fruit, fructose, gives these low-calorie foods a degree of sweetness that most of us desire. Fruits, which are typically high in carbohydrates (although this varies with the type of fruit and its maturity), are excellent sources of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. In fact, citrus fruits are the best-known sources of vitamin C, but there are many other good sources, including kiwis, papayas, and strawberries. Other important micronutrients found abundantly in fruit are beta-carotene (a chemical that converts to vitamin A in the body), folic acid, vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium. Each of these nutrients plays a critical role in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease.

Fruits also contain substantial amounts of fibre and phytochemicals, two important nonnutritive food factors. Fibre enhances the digestive process, stimulates bowel movements, lowers cholesterol, and has a positive influence on blood sugar levels. Phytochemicals (phyto comes from the Greek word for “plant”) have been shown to influence the body’s biochemistry in numerous subtle but health-protective ways. In the race to find ways to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, both fibre and phytochemicals are receiving major research attention.

Fruit and disease

Considering such obvious health benefits, there should be small wonder that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that we eat two to four servings of fruit per day or that the National Cancer Institute has recommended a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The list of diseases against which fruits offer some protection is impressive.

Cancer

An analysis of 156 dietary studies published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 1996 found that fruit consumption provides significant protection against many cancers. In fact, people who eat more fruit have about one-half the risk of getting cancer of those who eat little fruit. High fruit intake is associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer. Fruit eaters may also be better protected against stomach cancer than non-fruit eaters. Against breast cancer, which strikes one in nine women, the data clearly show that high fruit consumption is protective. A study of 2,400 Greek women showed that those with the highest intake of fruit (six servings per day) had a 35 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who ate the least fruit (fewer than two servings per day).

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Citrus fruits in particular consistently have been shown to be protective against cancers of the stomach, breast, esophagus, mouth, and pharynx. Vitamin C may help prevent cancer through its ability to scavenge nitrites, chemicals commonly used as curing agents in meats that combine with amines to form nitrosamine, a potentially carcinogenic substance. One of the well-established functions of vitamin C is collagen synthesis. Collagen is an insoluble fibrous protein that is the chief constituent of connective tissue and is also found in bones. In promoting collagen synthesis, vitamin C may hinder the formation and growth of tumours.

Getting the most from fruit

Not all fruits are created equal. To help people select the most nutritious fruits, Paul Lachance of Cook College at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Elizabeth Sloan of Applied Biometrics, Stuart, Florida, developed a rating system for 28 popular fresh fruits. They based their ratings on two parameters of nutrient density: (1) a “daily value” per 100 grams of nine nutritional factors (namely, protein, total vitamin A, thiamin [vitamin B₁], riboflavin [vitamin B₂], niacin, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, and iron) and (2) calories per nutrient (the “cost” in calories to deliver 1 percent of each of the nine nutrients).

Kiwi was number one on their list (see the table), followed by papaya, cantaloupe, strawberries, mango, lemon, orange (Florida), red currants, mandarin orange, and avocado. As for those people whose personal favourites are low on the list, not to worry: Any fruit is better than no fruit at all.