Fruits get talked about a lot, usually in a broad, feel-good way. Vitamins, fibre, all that. But every now and then, a specific fruit comes into focus and the conversation gets a bit more interesting.
This time it is kiwis. Karan Rajan, a UK-based surgeon and health content creator, recently broke down why eating them daily might do more than people expect. He shared this in an Instagram video on 31 March, and the takeaway is fairly simple. Small habit, noticeable impact.
Eating kiwis daily may improve your gut health
Gut health advice can get complicated fast. Supplements, powders, routines. But this one is surprisingly straightforward.
“A large randomised control trial of 184 people compared eating two kiwis daily to taking psyllium, which supposedly is the gold standard fibre supplement. After just four weeks, the kiwi munchers had more complete spontaneous bowel motions per week, as well as better consistency and less straining and better GI comfort and higher satisfaction than taking psyllium. In fact, this study was so strong that it led to a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority for kiwis in maintaining normal defecation,” Dr Rajan explained.
So yes, something as simple as two kiwis a day. Not exactly complicated.
It is not just fibre, it is the type of fibre that matters
Most people hear fibre and think bulk. That is part of it, but not the whole story.
“The reason that kiwis outperform psyllium husk was likely because kiwis have a higher proportion of soluble prebiotic fibre. Psyllium husk has almost no prebiotic fibre and it’s barely fermented by your gut bacteria; so, it has virtually zero impact on your microbiome. And good pooping health is not just about bulk formation; it is about bacterial health and bacterial biomass,” he noted.
So the focus shifts slightly. It is less about quantity, more about quality and how your gut bacteria respond.
Kiwis may also support your immune system
There is another layer to this. Beyond digestion.
“The high amounts of vitamin C you find in kiwis might also support the immune system. In elderly people, eating two gold kiwis per day reduced the severity and duration of upper respiratory infections, such as colds, sore throats, and congestion. They didn’t get sick less often, but when they did get sick, their symptoms were milder and shorter. This was probably a combination of the vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols, and fibre in the kiwi working synergistically to support immune function,” Dr Rajan shared.
So not exactly prevention, but possibly softer landings when illness does happen.
A small habit that might be worth trying
Nothing here is being framed as a fix-all. That is not the point. But adding something simple, like kiwis, into a daily routine is manageable for most people.
And if it helps gut comfort and gives a bit of immune support along the way, that is a decent trade-off.
ALSO READ: Bloating and constipation issues? Doctor shares 7 common fruits that can help you get relief
