An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but three kiwis could lower your blood pressure.

A study, discussed at the American Heart Association scientific meeting in Orlando, found that eating the fuzzy-skinned fruit with the tart green flesh three times a day was associated with a drop in blood pressure.

High blood pressure is considered a risk factor for heart disease, the world's No. 1 killer.

The eight-week study, led by Mette Svendsen of Oslo University Hospital in Norway, involved 118 people with an average age of 55 and mildly high blood pressure. One group added three kiwis to their daily diet, while the other half added the proverbial apple a day. Kiwis contain lutein, which has antioxidant properties.

After eight weeks, the kiwi group's 24-hour systolic blood pressure was found to be an average of 3.6 millimeters of mercury lower than that of the apple eaters.