Bananas are perhaps one of nature’s most under-rated fruits. The yellow skinned fruits are easy to overlook, especially when it seems as if there’s always some new and exotic type of fruit that’s being touted as the next big thing. However, the fact remains that bananas are a tasty super food that can give our bodies all the good stuff it needs to thrive. They’re packed full of nutrients, vitamins, fiber, and all-natural sugars, like sucrose and fructose. That’s part of the reason why eating bananas regularly can help to keep the doctor away.
In the United States bananas are the top most consumed fruit and Americans eat more of them every year than apples and oranges combined. Many of us bring home a bunch of bananas from the store and eat them throughout the week. They start off mostly greenish-yellow and spotless, but as time goes by, the bananas continuously ripen. Eventually they begin to develop brown spots, which grow bigger and bigger until the entire banana is covered in brown. Many people are turned off by brown bananas and think it means they’re rotten so they toss them out. It makes sense, most fruits that turn brown are indeed rotten and unappetizing.
However, the more dark patches a banana appears to have, the more ripe it is, and the more TNF it contains. TNF stands for Tumor Necrosis Factor, and it’s a cancer fighting substance that helps fight against abnormal cells in our bodies. Specifically, TNF helps to assist communication between cells in our immune response system and it guides the movement of cells towards areas in our bodies which are inflamed or infected. Research has confirmed that the TNF found in ripe bananas interferes with tumor cells growth and inhibits them from spreading by causing cell death, or apoptosis. This, in conjunction with the high levels of antioxidants which are also found in bananas, boosts our immune systems and can increase our white blood cells as well. The next time you see a banana with brown spots, don’t pass it over. Instead, eat it up and give your body a mini-health boost and some extra energy.
In addition to the brown spots and their immune system strengthening qualities, bananas have a number of other health benefits. Below are a few of the main ones that bananas can give you, and the accompanying video covers even more than just these, so check it out:
1) Heartburn- Bananas are nature’s anti-acid and can provide relief from heartburn and acid reflux. Eating just one banana can immediately bring soothing relief and lessen your heartburn symptoms.
2) Blood Pressure- Bananas help to lower blood pressure and protect against stroke or heart attack because they are low in sodium and high in potassium, making them a heart healthy food.
3) Energy- Eating a banana or two before a workout gives you enough energy to last an hour or more. The low glycemic carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals all support your body increase endurance, while potassium helps to prevent muscle cramps.
4) Anemia- They can help those with anemia by providing much needed dietary iron, which stimulates red blood cell and hemoglobin production and strengthens the blood supply.
5) Ulcers- When you suffer from stomach ulcers many foods are off limits, but bananas can be eaten without having to worry about whether or not they’ll cause pain. That’s because their smooth, soft, mushy texture coats the stomach lining and protects it against corrosive acids and irritation.
6) Depression- They can help overcome depression because they have high levels of tryptophan, which our bodies convert into serotonin. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that makes people relax, feel happy, and improves mood. Thus, bananas can help people feel better and beat depression.
7) Constipation- If you are clogged up, eat a few bananas. They have enough fiber in them to stimulate regular bowel movements and provide natural relief for constipation.
8) Nerves or PMS- When you’re feeling moody and stressed, eat a banana. They help to regulate blood sugar and are rich in B vitamins, which naturally calm the nervous system and make people relax, resulting in an overall improved mood.
9) Temperature Control- Eating a banana on a hot day can cool you off by lowering your body temperature. The same is true for it you have a fever.
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11 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Bananas
Bananas are extremely healthy and delicious.
They contain several essential nutrients, and have benefits for digestion, heart health and weight loss.
Aside from being very nutritious, they are also a highly convenient snack food.
Here are 11 health benefits of bananas that are supported by scientific research.
Bananas are among the most popular fruits on earth.
Native to Southeast Asia, they are now grown in many warmer parts of the world.
There are many types of bananas available, which vary in color, size and shape. The most common type is the yellow banana, which is green when unripe.
Bananas contain a fair amount of fiber, as well as several antioxidants. One medium-sized banana (118 grams) also contains (1, 2, 3):
- Potassium: 9% of the RDI.
- Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI.
- Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI.
- Magnesium: 8% of the RDI.
- Copper: 10% of the RDI.
- Manganese: 14% of the RDI.
- Net carbs: 24 grams.
- Fiber: 3.1 grams.
- Protein: 1.3 grams.
- Fat: 0.4 grams.
Each banana contains only about 105 calories, and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas contain very little protein and almost no fat.
The carbs in unripe (green) bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas are rich in fiber, antioxidants and several nutrients. A medium-sized banana contains about 105 calories.
Bananas are rich in a fiber called pectin, which gives the flesh its structural form (4).
Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fiber and escapes digestion.
Both pectin and resistant starch may moderate blood sugar levels after meals, and reduce appetite by slowing stomach emptying (5, 6, 7).
Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index, which is a measure (from 0–100) of how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels.
The glycemic value of unripe bananas is about 30, while ripe bananas rank at about 60. The average value of all bananas is 51 (8, 9).
This means that bananas should not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.
However, this may not apply to diabetics, which should probably avoid eating lots of well-ripened bananas and monitor their blood sugars carefully when they do.
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas contain nutrients that can help moderate blood sugar levels after meals. They may also reduce appetite by slowing stomach emptying.
Dietary fiber has been linked to many health benefits, including improved digestion.
A medium-sized banana contains about 3 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good fiber source (10).
Bananas contain mainly two types of fiber:
- Pectin: Decreases as the banana ripens.
- Resistant starch: Found in unripe bananas.
Resistant starch escapes digestion and ends up in our large intestine, where it becomes food for the beneficial gut bacteria (11, 12, 13).
Additionally, some cell studies propose that pectin may help protect against colon cancer (14, 15).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas are fairly rich in fiber and resistant starch, which may feed the friendly gut bacteria and help protect against colon cancer.
No study has directly tested the effects of bananas on weight loss. However, bananas do have several features that should make them a weight loss friendly food.
For starters, bananas contain relatively few calories. An average banana contains just over 100 calories, yet it is also very nutritious and filling.
They are also rich in fiber. Eating more fiber from fruit and vegetables has repeatedly been linked with lower body weight and weight loss (16, 17, 18).
Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to be very filling and may reduce your appetite (19, 20).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas may help with weight loss. They are low in calories, high in nutrients and fiber, and may have appetite-reducing effects.
Potassium is a mineral that is essential for heart health, especially blood pressure control.
Yet despite its importance, most people are not getting enough potassium in their diet (21).
Bananas are a great dietary source of potassium. One medium-sized banana (118 grams) contains 9% of the RDI.
A potassium-rich diet can help lower blood pressure, and people who eat plenty of potassium have up to a 27% lower risk of heart disease (22, 23, 24, 25).
Furthermore, bananas contain a decent amount of magnesium, which is also important for heart health (26, 27).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas are a good dietary source of potassium and magnesium, two nutrients that are essential for heart health.
Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants, and bananas are no exception.
They contain several types of potent antioxidants, including dopamine and catechins (1, 2).
These antioxidants have been linked to many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative diseases (28, 29).
However, it is a common misunderstanding that the dopamine from bananas acts as a feel-good chemical in the brain.
In reality, dopamine from bananas does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It simply acts as a strong antioxidant instead of altering hormones or mood (2, 30).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas are high in several antioxidants, which may help reduce damage from free radicals and lower the risk of some diseases.
Resistant starch is a type of indigestible carbohydrate found in unripe bananas, which functions sort of like soluble fiber in the body.
As a rule of thumb, you can estimate that the greener the banana is, the higher the amount of resistant starch it contains (31).
On the other hand, ripe (yellow) bananas contain lower amounts of resistant starch and total fiber, but proportionally higher amounts of soluble fiber.
Both pectin and resistant starch have been shown to have appetite-reducing effects and increase the feeling of fullness after meals (20, 32, 33, 34).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas contain high amounts of resistant starch or pectin, depending on ripeness. Both may reduce appetite and help keep you full.
Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many of the world's most serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Several studies have shown that 15–30 grams of resistant starch per day may improve insulin sensitivity by 33–50%, in as little as 4 weeks (35, 36).
Unripe bananas are a great source of resistant starch, and may therefore help improve insulin sensitivity.
However, the reason for these effects is not well understood, and not all studies agree on the matter (35, 37).
BOTTOM LINE:Unripe bananas are a good source of resistant starch, which may improve insulin sensitivity. However, more research is needed.
Potassium is essential for blood pressure control and healthy kidney function.
As a good dietary source of potassium, bananas may be especially beneficial for maintaining healthy kidneys.
One study in women showed that over 13 years, those who ate bananas 2–3 times per week were 33% less likely to develop kidney disease (38).
Other studies have found that those who eat bananas 4–6 times a week are almost 50% less likely to develop kidney disease, compared to people who don't eat bananas (38, 39).
BOTTOM LINE:Eating a banana several times a week may reduce the risk of kidney disease by up to 50%.
Bananas are often referred to as the perfect food for athletes, largely due to their mineral content and easily digested carbs.
Eating bananas may help reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness, which affect up to 95% of the general population (40).
The reason for the cramps is basically unknown, but a popular theory blames a mixture of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance (41, 42, 43).
However, studies have provided mixed findings about bananas and muscle cramps. Some find them helpful, while others find no effects (44).
That being said, bananas have been shown to provide excellent nutrition before, during and after endurance exercise (45).
BOTTOM LINE:Bananas may help relieve muscle cramps caused by exercise. They also provide excellent fuel for endurance exercise.
Not only are bananas incredibly healthy -- they're also one of the most convenient snack foods around.
Bananas make a great addition to your breakfast yogurt, cereal or smoothie. You can even use them instead of sugar in your baking and cooking.
Furthermore, bananas rarely contain any pesticides or pollutants, due to their thick protective peel.
Bananas are incredibly easy to eat and transport. They are usually well-tolerated and easily digested, and simply have to be peeled and eaten.
It doesn't get much easier than that.
An evidence-based nutrition article from our experts at Authority Nutrition.
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