17+ Proven Health Benefits of Banana You Must Know
Banana is one of the most, appealing, convenient, inexpensive, and delicious fruit in the world. Being rich in numerous nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, banana provides several health benefits. Its exportation has been increased by over 20 million tons per year.
Here you are going to know all the health benefits of eating bananas, along with the vitamins & nutrient value. Further, you will know how bananas are beneficial for men’s and women’s health.
1. Overview of Banana and Their Benefits
Bananas are a sweet and delicious fruit loaded with numerous nutrients. They are mainly exported to the United State and in the European markets. Major of the bananas come from a family, known as Musa and are native to Southeast Asia. However, it grows all over the world (commonly in warmer areas).
Bananas are varied in color, shape, and size. Mainly there are two types of bananas found everywhere, Yellow banana and Green banana. Different types of bananas have different benefits. Although, there is also one more variety, known as a red banana. It is very rare and founds only in a few regions of this world.
2. Banana Contain Several Nutrient in Different Value
Knowing the nutrient value of bananas is much important as eating bananas is. It’s all about the banana nutrition that why the banana is ruling its kingdom.
Bananas are mainly rich in Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C. Being rich in various nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, bananas became a good source for various diseases. Such as heart health, bone health, skincare, depression, and anxiety.
Bananas contain a large amount of Magnesium and Potassium, altogether with numerous antioxidants.
Here the nutrient value of a medium-sized banana (118 gram):
- Potassium – 358 mg
- Magnesium – 27 mg
- Manganese – 0.27 mg
- Vitamin B6 – 0.4 mg
- Energy – 89 Kcal
- Carbohydrate – 22.84 gram
- Sugar – 12.23 gram
- Fiber – 2.6 gram
- Fat – 0.33 gram
- Proteins – 1.09 gram
All the bananas contain nearly 105 calories and consist exclusively of carbs and water. The bananas hold a very low amount of proteins and almost no fat (1).
And this could be the reason, why bananas are recommended for weight loss.
Furthermore, the bananas contain antioxidants, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, etc.
3. Benefits of Eating Banana
As being rich in numerous nutrients, definitely banana will be beneficial in various diseases.
There are undefine benefits of eating bananas. Being rich in potassium, bananas may helpful for heart health, especially controlling the blood pressure.
Banana helps keep the bones stronger, increase our stamina, may support the digestive system, good skin, and smooth hair.
Further, the bananas help in weight loss and boost your brain (2). Bananas also contain numerous antioxidants that linked with several health benefits. Such as dopamine, catechins, and anthocyanins.
These are not enough, as banana has hundreds of benefits. Now, we will see all the major health benefits of eating bananas.
4. Health Benefits of Eating Banana
There are a lot of health benefits of eating bananas. But we are not aware of them. Bananas have numerous health benefits for men, along with women.
From heart health to cancer, banana plays a major role in these diseases. They are fully loaded with powerful nutrients that help prevent many diseases.
The fiber in bananas supports the digestive system. Resistant starch in bananas may improve insulin sensitivity and refresh your mood to feel freer. Potassium and magnesium play a big role in keeping the heart healthier.
Following are the major health benefits of bananas. Let you explore the banana kingdom.
5. Banana Controls High Blood Pressure
Two main nutrients, which plays the main role in keeping a healthy heart and in stabilizing blood pressure are potassium and magnesium. Both are the key minerals which the body needs to function correctly (3).
A medium-sized banana contains almost 27-mg magnesium and 358-mg potassium. A single banana provides 16% of the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) of magnesium, and 12% RDI of potassium.
Banana could be an inexpensive natural medicine for peoples having heart disease and high blood pressure.
So, add bananas to your diet and get all its advantages to control your high blood pressure. These are the banana benefits to control high blood pressure.
6. Banana Keep the Bones Stronger
Bananas are full of proteins and nutrients which helps in increasing bone density. Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Copper, and manganese are enormously important for keeping the bones stronger.
- Vitamin B6 helps in the production of glutathione that protects the bones from oxidative damages.
- Potassium is one of the powerful minerals to keep the bones stronger. It helps create a pH-balancing line that protects our bones when the body’s pH balance becomes too acidic (4).
- Manganese form collagen that prepares much of the bone matrix. It also helps in the absorption of calcium that plays a big role in bone strength.
- Vitamin C protects your body and bones from oxidative damages (5). Further, it is important for collagen synthesis.
It also contains a very high amount of FOS (fructooligosaccharide). FOS is a prebiotic compound that supports vitamins and digestive enzymes in building the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and calcium (6).
And you all are aware of the term Calcium, the most important mineral to keep our bones healthy. These are the benefits of bananas in keeping the bones stronger.
7. Banana Helps in Weight Loss
Bananas are exclusively high in fiber, as a normal banana contains almost 3.1-grams of fiber. A single banana can give you nearly 10 percent of your daily fiber requirements.
Fiber-rich fruits may help you keep feeling full for a long period of time. They are directly linked to reducing body weight.
A study reviewed the food consumption of 252 women for the consecutive 20 months. It was found that the women take every extra gram of fiber per day, their body weight become 0.55 lbs (0.25 kg) lower (7).
The effect occurs because fiber makes you feel full for a long time. This helps in decreasing your overall caloric intake for the day, which means a great weight loss.
Thus, bananas have benefits for weight loss and can be used for it.
8. Banana Boosts Energy and Increased Stamina
Bananas are also referred to as energy booster. They are rich in calories, as a 100-gram banana contains almost 89 Kcal.
According to a study of Appalachian State University in 2012, Bananas are a great source of energy than expensive sports drinks (8). That often you can see athletes’ players taking
bananas before their play. Few bananas could be enough for your 90 minutes of work.
Thus, Bananas could be taken as an inexpensive natural energy booster.
Moreover, banana contains starch and resistant starch (9). As for how the bananas ripen, the starch converted into three types of sugars, Glucose, Fructose, and Sucrose.
The blood absorbs glucose and fructose very quickly that provides an immediate energy boost. Further, the sucrose absorbed by the blood, but slowly and thus it helps keep the blood sugar level stable.
This great amount of energy from bananas is enough for increasing endurance and stamina boost. So, it will be beneficial to take a banana when you feel weak and tired. These are the benefits of bananas in boosting our energy and increasing our stamina.
9. Banana May Help in Kidney Disease
Potassium is one of the best minerals to control blood pressure and for good kidney function.
And being rich in Potassium, banana helps protect your kidney from several diseases. An average banana consists of almost 358 mg of potassium.
Researchers have found that women who take bananas 2–3 times have 33% lower chances of kidney cancer (10).
In addition, Banana has a high level of antioxidant phenolic compounds which helps in preventing kidney cancer. It has been found that women who ate more than 75 servings of vegetables and fruits reduce their risk of Kidney cancer by 40 percent (11, 12).
And here, banana is the most effective fruit. Eating four to six bananas a week could cut the risk of Kidney cancer.
Thus, bananas could be also beneficial for your kidney health.
10. Banana Might Improves Your Digestive System
Bananas are a fairly good source of Dietary Fiber that connected with several health benefits, including digestive health.
A normal-sized banana contains almost 3 grams of fiber (10% of RDI). There are two main types of fiber found in bananas
- Resistant Starch – It found only in ripe bananas.
- Pectin – It decreases as how the bananas ripen.
A review found that banana’s resistant starch might support gut health and control blood sugar. The resistant starch functions as a soluble fiber and it feeds the friendly bacteria in your intestine. This helps for better digestion (13).
Some studies proposed that Pectin help defends against colon cancer (14, 15).
Moreover, bananas are highly rich in water that regulates and promotes digestive health.
11. Banana May Keep Your Eye Healthier
Carrot is the king for eye health, but bananas are too. Banana contains a low but sufficient amount of Vitamin A that roughly helps in eye health.
A medium-sized banana contains almost 64 IU Vitamin A.
Few researchers have been found that bananas contain carotenoids (16). It is a compound that turns fruits and vegetables into orange, red, or yellow and is further converted into Vitamin A.
Vitamin A helps improve your night vision and maintain normal vision. Further, it helps in better function of corneas and conjunctival membranes.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vitamin A contains compounds that preserve the membranes around your eyes (17). Also, it contains an element in the proteins that brings light to your corneas. Bananas can also prevent macular degeneration, an inveterate condition that blurs central vision.
Therefore, bananas could be beneficial for your eye health.
12. Banana will be helpful for Pregnant Women
You might have been seen taking a banana to a pregnant woman. Bananas could be helpful from every side for a pregnant woman.
It is basic knowledge that how important blood is important for a pregnant woman. Bananas are highly rich in folic acid that helps in making extra blood for a pregnant body (18). This helps the growing fetus and the mother to keep enough blood for their development.
In addition, bananas are also rich in iron that prevents suffering from anemia (19).
A pregnant woman has always to be careful about their salt intake. As the salt can easily cause the body to retain water and can also raise blood pressure levels.
The banana contains potassium and this helps the body process salt out quickly. This decreases the chances of negative salt-induced side effects. These are the benefits of banana for a pregnant woman
13. Banana Benefits for Skin
The bananas and their peels are full of antioxidants which have an invigorating effect on the skin and helps in the repairing of the damaged cells (20). The peels of the banana also help in treating acne.
As we have covered earlier that banana contains vitamin A. And here again, Vitamin A helps fade dark spots and scars on the skin.
The peels of the banana can be directly applied over the blemished areas of the face. Also, mixing bananas with other ingredients like yogurt and turmeric could be used on our face to prevent acne.
So, don’t waste the peel of the banana next time and instead use it as a face cleanser.
14. Banana Benefits for Hair
Bananas do all their best as they can for good health. Even, they do not stay here and give your hair a boost in thickness, texture, and shine.
The bananas contain few amounts of silica, a mineral element. This helps to synthesize collagen which makes your hair thicker and stronger (21).
Bananas also contain antimicrobial properties that heal the dry and flaky scalp. And thus, provide a big relief from dandruff symptoms (22).
Banana is high moisture content and this helps to keep clean and shining hair. To make a moisturizing mask, just mashed up the bananas and then use them in your hair. These are banana benefits for hair.
15. Banana Improves Male Health
You all are eating bananas but do not aware of how the banana is advantageous for male health. We know that bananas are rich in potassium, bromelain, and vitamin B.
These all play a big role in the production and regulation of sex hormones (23). Due to these natural aphrodisiac properties of bananas, they can increase libido, sexual function, and can enhance stamina. Before doing such activities, if we eat a few bananas, then we will get the full benefits.
You know that the banana contains magnesium and manganese. And these are extremely helpful for male health, as they help the body to maintain a healthy prostate.
Causing a deficiency in either magnesium or manganese could develop prostate cancer (24). So, be aware of this fact. These are the benefits of bananas for male health.
16. Banana May Improves Mood and Mental Health
Bananas contain much amount of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter often called mood regulation (25).
When Serotonin releases in your brain, you feel very happy and joyful. But, when you don’t take any food having Serotonin, then tryptophan takes its place. Tryptophan is an amino acid that creates Serotonin. It made banana a good source of Serotonin (26).
It has been also found that Tryptophan helps to promote a healthy sleep timeframe. Extremely good for the peoples who suffer from insomnia. Taking a banana before sleeping can really regulate your sleep pattern.
The banana also contains Vitamin B, which affects the brain and provides relaxation in your sleep. These are the benefits of bananas in improving mood and mental health.
17. Red Banana Benefits
Thousands of banana varieties exist in the world (27). Red banana is also from them which mainly found in Southeast Asia.
It’s weird to listen to the name red banana, but in truth, it exists and provides various health benefits.
Red banana also contains several nutrients like the yellow ones. These are loaded with several nutrients, majorly potassium, vitamin B6, Vitamin C.
As having similarities to the yellow banana, these have also various health benefits. Red bananas are rich in potassium and thus, it plays a great role in heart health.
One of the major benefits of red banana is being rich in carotenoids (28). It is a pigment that gives the reddish color to their peel.
The carotenoids contain Lutein and beta carotene that helps in eye health. This is how the red banana differs from the other bananas.
Here are the major health benefits of red bananas –
- It improves the digestive system
- Supports your immune system
- Support eye health
- Keeps the blood pressure low
- It supports heart health and diabetes
Furthermore, red bananas are rich in antioxidants like anthocyanins, vitamin C, dopamine.
Summary
Bananas are highly nutritious in comparison with other fruits. It is a great source of Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese, Fiber, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C. That’s why there is a great number of benefits of eating a banana.
Among its various benefits, it may help in Blood sugar level and in kidney cancer.
And finally, you have shown almost all the major benefits of eating bananas. And now, you have many reasons to eat bananas daily.
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