Learn About Digestive Health Benefits of Kiwi Fruit

As well as being tasty, kiwi fruit is one of the most nutritional fruits in the world. However, what many people aren't aware of are the digestive health benefits of kiwi fruit. These small fruits can help you improve your digestion and detoxify your body in so many different ways!

One of the most common digestive complaints that people have these days is constipation. It often happens as we age, and it's also caused by poor diet with lack of fiber. There have been a number of scientific studies carried out on the laxative capabilities of kiwi fruits. They've been proven to effectively get bowel movements happening, as well as enhance the consistency of stools by bulking them up.

What's the reason? Scientists believe it to be a number of nutrients and the way they interact together. These are non-digestible ogliosaccarides (which act as prebiotics), fiber, actinidin, and the cell wall materials.

If you find you're have trouble digesting protein, kiwi fruits can also help with this. Actinidin is the main component of kiwi fruits. It's a proteolytic enzyme, which breaks down proteins into amino acids and will assist your body in performing the task. If your body doesn't do it properly, it will be deprived of essential amino acids. The undigested protein may also find its way to the large intestine and lead to a build up of toxins there.

A recent study found that kiwi fruits were most beneficial in helping digest the most difficult food proteins -- casein/sodium caseinate (a milk protein) and beef muscle.

Another thing that' s special about kiwi fruits is that they're a very rich source of phenolic acids. These are found naturally in plants and act as a defense mechanism to protect from bacteria, parasites, and injury to the cell wall. In the human body, phenolics have also been proven to have antibacterial properties. In particular, when it comes to digestive health, they can maintain the balance between good and bad bacteria in the colon by keeping the growth of bad bacteria under control.

The phenolic acids are mostly made up of flavonoids, which are known to act as antioxidants. They are needed to keep free radicals under control in the body. Without antioxidants to donate electrons, the free radicals (which are molecules with at least one unpaired electron) will take them from other cells. This can cause substantial damage, including changes to the cell structure and cancer. A number of scientific studies have shown a major link between oxidative stress (which is a primary cause of free radicals) and colon cancer. This can't be overlooked when it comes to digestive health.

One other thing that's emerging in relation to kiwi fruits and digestive health is the concept of prebiotics -- non-digestible carbohydrates that feed the good bacteria in the intestine. A recent study found that kiwi fruit was better than the well known prebiotic inulin at boosting the adhesion of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (an important good bacteria) to the intestine.

Learn more about why kiwi fruits are an excellent natural digestive and the many health benefits of kiwi fruit, as well as discover a remarkable natural kiwi fruit supplement that's guaranteed to improve your digestion.

Sharell Cook is enthusiastic about natural health, and has been taking natural health supplements for many years. She writes on a range of natural health topics and enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find.