Typically when you think vitamin C, it’s either oranges or a supplement tablet you turn to. But recent research from our very own University of Otago has found that you may be better off reaching for a kiwifruit.
The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that mice eating kiwifruit absorbed vitamin C more efficiently and also retained it for longer, compared with those taking a purified supplement form.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Margreet Vissers says people need vitamin C to be healthy. However, our bodies cannot make the vitamin and we need to get it from our food. It is also available in purified form and is arguably the most commonly consumed vitamin supplement (hands up who takes it whenever you start getting signs of a cold or flu!).
Vissers says, ‘The question that has often been asked is whether a supplement is as good a source of vitamin C as whole foods, but few studies have addressed this issue.’
An equivalent human trial is being conducted to find out whether this situation also applies to people.
Link: http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago018638.html
Image / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Michal Marcol