( Update: 27/02/2019 )
The health benefits of banana include helping with weight loss, reducing obesity, curing intestinal disorders, relieving constipation, and curing conditions like dysentery, anemia, tuberculosis, arthritis, gout, and kidney and urinary disorders.
Banana can also help with menstrual problems and burns. It is good for reducing blood pressure, protecting heart health, boosting metabolism and immunity, reducing the severity of ulcers, ensuring healthy eyes, building strong bones, and detoxifying the body.
Bananas are tropical fruits that have a soft pulp inside their fleshy peel. These fruits are elongated and slightly curved and they grow in clusters near the top of the fruiting plant. Bananas come in a range of colors, including green, red, yellow, and brown (when ripe). A banana tree is the largest flowering herbaceous plant in the world. The scientific name of bananas is Musa acuminata. One serving or 126 grams of banana contains approximately 110 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrates.
Bananas can be eaten directly when ripe or can be included in fruit salads, juice, and shakes. Also, they make a good topping for breakfast cereals or a snack for a quick burst of energy. Bananas are now grown in more than 100 countries around the world and can also be used to make fiber, banana wine, and are included in ornamental decorations.
According to USDA, bananas are a rich source of protein, potassium, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. [1] They have zero fat and cholesterol, as well as negligible sodium. Their impressive nutritional content includes vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin B6, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, and niacin, as well as trace amounts of other vitamins. Bananas also contain minerals like phosphorus, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and copper.
Banana has many amazing health benefits, which include the following:
Research conducted at the Hypertension Institute, USA states that potassium plays a key role in managing healthy blood pressure levels. [2] As bananas are a rich source of potassium, they help to reduce blood pressure. Potassium helps in relieving the tension in arteries and veins, so blood can flow smoothly through the body and oxygenate various organs to increase their function. This can help eliminate atherosclerosis and the subsequent strokes and heart attacks that are so commonly associated with it. The fiber in bananas also scrapes excess cholesterol from the arteries and blood vessels and further reduces stress on the cardiovascular system.
According to a research conducted in 2007 at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK, bananas can protect children against a cough and many associated symptoms of asthma. [3]
Bananas contain significant amounts of dietary fiber and therefore help in smooth bowel movements. The roughage soothes the excretion process and relieves a person from constipation. Studies suggest that bananas also help in treating other intestinal disorders. [4]
A study conducted at the Department of Medicine and Radiology, State University of New York, has revealed that pectin, in bananas, is said to be a nutrient that aids in improving glucose tolerance in diabetics. [5] A banana provides about 3 grams of dietary fiber, which is beneficial for both type-1 and type-2 diabetics. Type-1 diabetics may have lowered blood glucose levels and type-2 may have improved blood glucose levels. [6]
According to a study conducted in 2015, the amino acid tryptophan and antioxidants like dopamine, in bananas, play a vital role in boosting mood and preserving memory. [7] Additionally, magnesium helps relax muscles and vitamin B6 helps you sleep well.
Research led by Dr. Olga P. García, Autonomous University of Queretaro, Mexico, states that bananas contain high iron content and, therefore, they aid in treating anemia since iron is an essential part of red blood cells. [8] Bananas also have a significant content of copper, which is an important element in the creation of red blood cells. By increasing your red blood cell count, not only do you prevent anemia, but you can also increase circulation to all parts of the body, thereby oxygenating them and optimizing their functionality.