Fruit shows great ability to promote mental health quickly

Fruit shows great

 ability to promote mental health quickly

Researchers from the University of Otago have demonstrated the ability of

 kiwi fruit to significantly improve mood, and how quickly it affects.

In a study

 published in the British Journal of Nutrition

researchers found that this fruit

 improves vitality and mood in less than four days.

Professor Tamlin Conner

co-author from the Department of Psychology

says the results provide a tangible

 and easily accessible way to support mental health.

He added:

 "It's great that people know that small changes in their diet

such as adding kiwi fruit, can make a difference in how they feel every day."

Vitamin C 

was associated with improved mood, vitality, well-being and low

 depression, while vitamin C deficiency was associated with high depression

 and cognitive impairment.

However, Professor Conner says limited research has assessed how quickly

 there is an improvement in mood after taking vitamin C 

supplements or fully dietary vitamin sources.

The researchers sought to close this gap through an eight-week 

dietary intervention for 155 adults with vitamin C deficiency.

Participants daily took either vitamin C supplements, a placebo, or two pills of

 kiwi fruit.

 They then reported their vitality, mood, psychological prosperity

 (the situation in which people feel positive feelings 

and positive psychosocial performance most of the time)

quality of sleep

quantity of sleep and physical activity using smartphone surveys.

Researchers found that kiwi fruit supplements improved vitality

 and mood within four days, peaking at about 14-16 days, and boosted

 psychological prosperity from day 14. On the other hand, vitamin C improved

 the mood slightly until day 12.

Lead author Dr.

 Ben Fletcher

who conducted the research as part of his doctoral thesis at the University of Otago

says understanding the nuances of when and how these effects occur daily

 contributes to our knowledge of the potential benefits of vitamin C-rich 

foods and supplements to mental health. This "helps us see that 

what we eat can have a relatively rapid impact on how we feel."

"Participants had relatively good mental health at first

so they had little room to improve, but still talked

 about the benefits of kiwi fruit or vitamin C interventions."