Kiwi fruit has evolved and packs a vitamin C punch

Researchers have now discovered that the kiwi fruit we’re eating today, has as much vitamin C as an orange.

Sciencedaily.com reports that the “extra boost in vitamin C production is the result of the kiwifruit's ancestors' spontaneously duplicating their DNA in two separate evolutionary events approximately 50-57 million and 18-20 million years ago.”

"Polyploidy is an abrupt evolutionary event that produces thousands of extra copies of genes overnight," says senior author Xiyin Wang, an agricultural plant scientist at the North China University of Science and Technology. 

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Wow! Time goes by so fast. October 1st today and I’m starting my day, week, month off with this delicious green smoothie bowl. . It’s so important to start your day with a nutritious breakfast. Packed with vitamin C. Full of fibre and enough protein to sustain you until lunch. . Once upon a time I’d have not even eaten breakfast and grabbed a snack on the commute. NOT. Now. It’s my favourite meal of the day... 💚 . . Kiwis, containing vitamin C and antioxidants, are amazing for a glowing and healthy skin. If consumed regularly it can help even fight acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. Avocado is then high in fibre, which stimulates regular bowl movements, helping getting rid of toxins. Matcha tea is also rich in antioxidants and it gives a good boost to the metabolism. Green sunshine smoothie bowl. 😍😍😍 200g soya yogurt (if you prefer to drink it as a juice add 250ml plant-based milk instead) 60g spinach 2 kiwis 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 tsp matcha green tea powder agave syrup to taste . Once everything was blended I topped it with some shredded coconut and kiwi slices. Together are the perfect mix to start the week after a long weekend of celebrations! Pretty simple really! #greensmoothie #plantbased #smoothiebowl #october #firstofthemonth #greenfood #foodporn #feedfeed #healthyfood #eatwell #avocado #kiwi #matcha #brekkie #breakfast #breakfastinbed

A post shared by Helping Healthy Brands to Grow(@thrivemagazine) on Oct 1, 2018 at 12:40am PDT

"These extra copies may greatly elevate the robustness of the plant, providing opportunities for natural selection to prune and rewire its biological system over time."

The report also points out that kiwis, coffee, and grapes “share a common ancestor and thus share large swaths of genetic information,” so soon we might get coffee and grapes that has the recommended daily dose of vitamin C.