Health Benefits of Bananas and Banana Nutrition Composition

Banana is one fruit that almost everybody loves to eat. Maybe because of its sweet and unique blend of taste, but the most interesting part of banana is its health benefits, Maybe you often eat it as a dessert or a snack just to enjoy the taste, I will be doing more good by revealing some health benefits of bananas and its nutritional composition. This will make you love it the more, so read on.

Also read: Top 5 foods that reduces hunger cravings

Banana Nutrition Composition

Bananas contain lots of bioactive compounds which includes:

• Phenolic compounds
• Carotenoids
• Biogenic amines
• Phytosterols

Bananas are also rich n several beneficial nutritional components. These nutrients include (per medium banana, about 118 g):

27g carbohydrates of which 14g is in the form of sugars (5.9 g glucose, 5.7 g fructose, and 2.8 g sucrose

Dietary fiber of 3.1 g, of which 2.1g is soluble and 1g insoluble.

Fibers are a form of insoluble starch composed of multiple sugars bonded by chemical linkages, which are resistant to chemical hydrolysis within the gut. Thus, they reach the colon intact and are subjected to microbial fermentation by gut bacteria. This not only produces better stool volume by binding water but results in the formation of some essential short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which are absorbed and used as energy sources. Fiber thus comprises not only dietary fiber which is mainly mechanical in effect but functional fiber which has a positive effect upon health. The sources of fiber which yield 5 g per serving are called excellent, and good if they give 2.5 g per serving. Under this classification, bananas are good sources of fiber.

Also read: Soluble and insoluble fibre foods suitable for weight loss

Resistant starch is slow to be digested by alpha-amylase and thus prevents a spike in the blood glucose.

Potassium content of 422 mg which is positively related to cardiovascular health

Vitamins: 33% of the RDI of B6, 11% for vitamin C

Minerals: 8% of the RDI for magnesium and copper, 14% for manganese

Protein content is 1.3 g and fat is only 0.4 g per medium banana.

Health Benefits of Bananas

After a thorough research on Banana consumption for a number of years, some of its health benefits have been discovered, and they include the following:

1. They provide energy

A medium banana contains about 105 calories, which can be compared to 144 calories for a serving potato. Banana can therefore be termed as a cost-effectiev energy source. This lovely bunch are used as a quick-dense boosts of energy for endurance workout and sports, having a glycemic index of 51.

Must read: How high GI foods increases your fat storage

2. They have antioxidant properties

The bioactive compounds in bananas include many strong antioxidants, and are thus useful in protecting the human body against inflammation and oxidative stresses. Bananas can also protect against some age-related or chronic degenerative conditions.

Also read: Preventing Alzheimer's disease naturally

3. It lowers blood pressure protect against cardiovascular diseases

Bananas are highly rich in potassium, and this is probably responsible for its ability to reduce blood pressure together with its low sodium content. Deficiency or lack of potassium, is thought to be the underlying cause of hypertension, this is because it helps to push down sodium concentration in the blood. Some research discovered that consuming some amount of bananas a day led to 10% fall in blood pressure over a week, and that 5 bananas a day was half as effective as the use of antihypertensive medication.

4. Control blood sugar levels and metabolic syndrome

It will be of great benefits for diabetics to consume under-ripe bananas rather than overripe ones, which have a glycemic index of 43 and 74 respectively, and cause the blood glucose level to rise to an average of 62 and 106 respectively. This is because overripe bananas have increased starch content compared to just sugar content in the under-ripe ones.

5. It controls body weight

Banana benefits for weight loss cannot be over emphasized. The high fibre content found in bananas makes it ideal as a low-calorie nutrient-dense food for people who are overweight. The resistant starches found in under-ripe bananas and plantains can be used as substitute for many calorie-rich starchy foods. Banana benefits goes beyond diabetes control to dyspidemia correction, and weight control. It also promotes safety and reduces total energy intake.

6. It prevents kidney tumours

Consuming about 75 or more servings of fruits or vegetables in every month is known to be effective against renal cell carcinoma by about 40%. This effect was most noticed in the case of banana consumption.

7. Protect against colon cancer

The resistant starch found in bananas may also help reduce or dilute the concentration of toxic substances such as fecal ammonia and N-nitroso compounds in the colonic lumen, but this is still under study. If the study is confirmed, bananas would play a major part in preventing colon cancer by reason of the slowly digested carbohydrate.

These are some banana facts, revealing the health benefits of bananas for weight loss and other important health issues. If you enjoyed reading this piece, kindly use the share buttons below to share this information with your families and loved ones.