Banana

Written by Dr. Sanjana V.B Bhms,dbrm,cdn

Founder & medical director of siahmsr wellness.in

All rights reserved with siahmsr digital healthcare[siahmsr wellness]

Reviewed by SIAHMSR medical team.

    Banana is one of the most important cultivated fruit crops worldwide particularly in tropics and it is a crop available throughout the year. Banana belongs to the genus Musa and family Musaceae. It is a fruit consumed across the globe for its flavor and nutritional value.

  According to historical data it seems to be first domesticated in Southeast Asia, and their consumption is mentioned in early Greek, Latin, and Arab writings; Alexander the Great saw bananas on an expedition to India. Soon after the discovery of America, bananas were taken from the Canary Islands to the New World, where they were first established in Hispaniola and soon spread to other islands and the mainland. Cultivation of banana increased in the 19th century and they were made available in the markets of the United States.    

   It is grown worldwide and bananas are considered as an important fruit in the global trade market. It is the fifth most important agricultural food crop cultivated in the world. It has been classified into the dessert or sweet bananas and the cooking bananas or plantains. It is either eaten raw or processed, and also as a functional ingredient in various food products.

Nutritional facts

Banana contains several bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, carotenoids, biogenic amines and phytosterols, which can help human health and well-being.

Banana fruit peel and flesh are rich sources of valuable phytochemicals, including polyphenols, flavonoids, fatty acids, carotenoids, phytosterols, amines   with antioxidant activity.

One medium banana (118 g) contains about 27 g carbohydrate (half as sugars), 3.1 g dietary fiber, 105 kilocalories, is a good source of potassium (422 mg) and vitamin B6 (0.43 mg).

The dessert bananas and cooking bananas had the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds, mainly in ripe fruit.

Dopamine is a polyphenolic found in small quantities in banana flesh, and in large quantities in the banana peel.  However dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier to help mood.

·       Energy giving fruit

Bananas are a good source of carbohydrate and it boosts your energy to daily activities. Bananas can be included as a good breakfast snack as they contain various other stay active nutrients in addition to carbohydrates and fiber.

The glycemic index of bananas is 51 (low-to-medium rating).Therefore diabetic people can consume banana moderately if they reduce other unhealthy carbohydrates [eg: white rice] in their diet. Because the good effects that banana provides outweigh its moderately high sugar content. Never forget that banana is a rich source of fiber, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals essential for bone and heart health. 

·       Rich in fibers

Fiber in banana helps digestion prevents constipation.

It also reduces LDL cholesterol and thus protects your heart. Fiber also helps to prevent colorectal cancers. 

·       Improves heart health

Potassium in banana helps to improve heart health and blood pressure as potassium can reduce blood pressure.

·       Antioxidants in banana reduce oxidative stress by free radicals

Vitamin C in banana helps to boost immunity and acts as an antioxidant against free radicals.

Flavonoid polyphenols are strong antioxidants in banana flesh and they help in free radical scavenging protecting your body against oxidative stress induced damage to cell DNA.

·       Improves neuronal health in brain.

Vitamin B6 in banana helps to improve nervous system and metabolic health.

·        Magnesium improves bone and heart health.

Magnesium in banana helps to improve bone health as well as heart health.

·       Anticancer potential

 A study shows that banana flesh can be used as a dietary supplement for protection against pancreatic and breast cancers probably due to strong polyphenol flavonoid content  which prevents oxidative stress and DNA damage[5].

How to include banana into your diet ? 

         ·       Eat raw banana as a breakfast snack

·       Banana milk shake

·       Chocolate banana peanut butter overnight oats

·       Banana peanut butter sandwich

·       Banana muffins

·       Boiled and sliced banana with honey and grated cheese

·       Banana blue berry smoothie

·       Banana kiwi  apple smoothie

·       Banana cashew ,almonds and chocolate milk shake

·       Banana pan cake

·       Banana puddings

·       Banana peach smoothie

References

1.    https://www.britannica.com/plant/banana-plant

2.    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27041291/

3.    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32331671/

4.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355124/

5.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8907754/#:~:text=Catechin%2C%20epicatechin%2C%20gallic%20acid%2C,are%20examples%20of%20banana%20phytosterols.

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