10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Bananas. | Know How Banana Provide benefits for digestion, heart health and weight loss.
Bananas are extremely healthy and delicious as well.
They contain several essential healthy nutrients and also provide benefits for digestion, heart health and weight loss.
Apart from being very nutritious, they are also a highly convenient snack food.
Here are 10 science-based health benefits of bananas.
1. Bananas Contain Many Important Nutrients
Bananas are among the world’s most popular fruits because of high nutrient value .
Native to Southeast Asia, bananas are now grown in many warm parts of the world.
They vary in color, size and shape as well.
The most common variety is the Cavendish, which is a type of dessert banana. Green when unripe and yellowish as it matures.
Bananas contains good amount of fiber, as well as several antioxidants. One medium-sized banana contains:
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 about 110 calories and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas hold very little amount of protein and almost no fat.
The carbs found in green, unripe bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as with time the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose).
2. Bananas Contain Nutrients That Moderate Blood Sugar Levels
Bananas are rich in pectin and Unripe bananas contain resistant starch.
Both pectin and resistant starch may moderate blood sugar levels after meals and also reduce appetite by slowing the emptying of your stomach.
Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure from 0–100 of how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels in human body.
The GI value of unripe bananas is approximately about 30, while ripe bananas rank at about 60. The average value of all the bananas is 51.
This shows that bananas should not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.
However, this may not apply to people with type 2 diabetes, these people should probably avoid eating a lot of well-ripened bananas and monitor their blood sugar carefully if they do.
3. Bananas May Improve Digestive Health
Dietary fiber has been linked with various health benefits, including improved digestion .
A medium-sized banana has about 3-4 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good source of fiber.
Bananas contain two main types of fiber:
Pectin: Decreases as the banana ripens.
Resistant starch: Found in unripe bananas.
Resistant starch escapes digestion and it ends up in your large intestine, where it becomes food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut .
Some test-tube studies propose that pectin may also help protect against colon cancer.
4. Bananas May Aid Weight Loss
No study has directly tested the effects of bananas on weight loss. However, bananas do have several attributes that should make them a weight-loss-friendly-food.
For starters, bananas have relatively few calories. An average banana has just over 100 calories — yet it is also very nutritious and filling.
Eating more fiber from vegetables and fruits like bananas has repeatedly been linked to lower body weight and weight loss.
Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to be very filling and may reduce your appetite.
5. Bananas May Support Heart Health
Potassium is a mineral which is very much essential for heart health especially blood pressure control.
Bananas are a good dietary source of potassium. One medium-sized banana (120 grams) contains 9-10% of the RDI.
A potassium-rich diet can help to lower blood pressure, and people who eat plenty of potassium have around 28% lower risk of heart disease.
6. Bananas Contain Powerful Antioxidants
Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants, among which bananas are no exception.
They contain several types of potent antioxidants, such as dopamine and catechins.
These antioxidants are linked with various health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative illnesses too.
However, it is a common misunderstanding of some people that the dopamine from bananas acts as a feel-good chemical in your brain.
The reality is, dopamine from bananas does not cross the blood-brain barrier and it simply acts as a strong antioxidant instead of altering hormones or mood.
7. Bananas May Help You Feel More Full
Resistant starch is a type of indigestible carb which is found in unripe bananas and other foods which functions like soluble fiber in your body.
You can estimate that the greener the banana, the higher its resistant starch content present in that.
On the other hand, yellow, ripe bananas contain lower amounts of resistant starch and total fiber as compared to unripe bananas but proportionally higher amounts of soluble fiber.
Both pectin and resistant starch offer the appetite-reducing effects which increase the feeling of fullness after meals.
8. Bananas May Improve Kidney Health
Potassium is necessary for blood pressure control and also for healthy kidney function.
As a good dietary source of potassium, bananas may be an essential and beneficial for maintaining healthy kidneys.
On a study in women determined that those who ate bananas 2–3 times per week were 34% less likely to develop kidney disease.
Also an another study note that those who eat bananas 4–5 times a week are almost 50% less likely to develop kidney disease than those who don’t eat this fruit.
9. Bananas May Have Benefits for Exercise
Bananas are often considered as the perfect food for athletes largely due to their mineral content and easily digested carbs.
Eating bananas may also help to reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness, which affect up to 94-95% of the general population.
It is said that bananas provide excellent nutrition before, during and after endurance exercise.
10. Bananas Are Easy to Add to Your Diet
Bananas are not only incredibly healthy they’re also one of the most convenient snack foods around.
Bananas make a great addition to yogurt, cereal and smoothies also. You can even use bananas instead of sugar in your baking and cooking.
Furthermore, bananas rarely contain any pesticides or pollutants because of their thick protective peel.
Bananas are incredibly easy to eat. They are easily digested and they simply have to be peeled and eaten.
Take over
Bananas are a popular fruit that provides numerous health benefits.
Among other things, they may also boost digestion and heart health due to their fiber and good antioxidant content.
They may even aid weight loss, as they’re relatively low-calorie and nutrient-dense on the other side.
Ripe bananas are a great source to satisfy your sweet tooth. What’s more, both yellow and green bananas can keep you healthy and feeling full , so start eating bananas today for its healthy benefits.