If you've got a passion for kiwifruit, your heart may love you for it.

If you’ve got a passion for kiwifruit, your heart may love you for it.

Kiwifruit is packed with nutrients, including plenty of vitamins C and E and polyphenols; the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant compounds that have been shown to provide cardiovascular benefits. So researchers at the University of Oslo designed a test to evaluate the effect of kiwifruit on heart health.

During a 28-day trial, cholesterol, platelet activity and triglyceride levels were measured in healthy volunteers who ate two or three kiwifruits each day. Subjects who ate kiwifruit didn’t have any changes in cholesterol levels, but platelet aggregation was reduced by nearly 20 percent, and triglyceride levels were lowered by 15 percent, compared to a group that didn’t eat kiwifruits.

And an added bonus: A UK research institute has reported that a daily intake of kiwifruit may provide protection from cancer-causing DNA damage, while also stimulating DNA repair.