NUTRIENTS IN
BANANAS:

INTRODUCTION:
• Bananas have got so many health benefits that are why some people eat
them unripe, and others make banana recipes which include banana bread,
banana pudding, banana muffins, banana pancakes, banana foster cake,
banana foster cheesecake, banana foster French toast, and many others.
Their bioactive compounds make them fruits of great nutritional value.

•
•

The Cavendish banana type is green when unripe and it becomes
yellow as it matures. Plantain bananas have firm, starchy fruit
which is suitable for cooking as a vegetable.
Bananas have got nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and many other
healthy components.

The chemical composition of 100g of a banana fruit is as follows:
energy: 371kj, water: 74.91g, carbohydrates: 22.84g, sugars:
12.23g, dietary fibre: 2.6g, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5):
0.334mg, pyridoxine (vitamin B6): 0.4mg, choline: 9.8mg, vitamin
C: 8.7mg, magnesium: 27mg, phosphorus: 22mg, potassium:
358mg, sodium: 1mg, and zinc: 0.15mg.
Bananas are nutritious fruits with a wide range of health benefits.
This article informs you about scientifically proven health benefits
of bananas and their bioactive compounds.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE SCIENTIFICALLY
PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS OF FOODS, DRINKS, AND
EXERCISE.

Pectin and resistant starch:
• Bananas are rich in pectin, and the unripe ones are very rich in resistant
starch which escapes digestion.
Pectin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide found in the primary and middle
lamella cell walls of terrestrial plants.
Its main component is galacturonic acid, a sugar acid derived from
galactose.
Resistant starch is starch molecules that resist digestion.

In 1982, Schwartz S E and colleagues studied the effect of
sustained pectin ingestion on gastric emptying, glucose
tolerance, hormone responses, and jejunal absorption of
glucose and lysine.
They discovered that gastric emptying half-time was prolonged
approximately twofold after pectin supplementation and returned
to normal 3 weeks after discontinuing pectin supplementation.

Schwartz SE and colleagues, 1988 investigated the effect of
sustained pectin ingestion on gastric emptying and glucose
tolerance in non-insulin-dependent diabetes patients.
They found out that sustained pectin ingestion slowed the gastric
emptying rate and improved glucose tolerance.

In 1994, Raben A and colleagues investigated the effect of
resistant starch on postprandial glycemia, hormonal response,
and satiety.
They concluded that the replacement of digestible starch with
resistant starch resulted in significant reductions in postprandial
glycemia and insulinemia, and the subjective sensations of
satiety.
Thus, pectin and resistant starch moderate blood sugar levels
after meals and reduce appetite by slowing gastric emptying.

In addition to this, Estibaliz Olano-Martin and colleagues, 2003
investigated the effects of pectin and pectic-oligosaccharides
(POS) on the human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line HT29.
They concluded that dietary pectins and their degradation
products may contribute to the reported protective effects of
fruits against colon cancer.

Furthermore, Alejandra Bermudez-Oria and colleagues, 2020
evaluated the antiproliferative effect of pectin on bladder cancer
cells.
Pectin showed an important antiproliferative capacity in vitro
against four bladder cancer cell lines which are RT112, T24,
J82, and SCaBER.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN HEALTH
BENEFITS OF FOODS, DRINKS, AND EXERCISE.

Potassium:
• Every living human cell needs potassium.
• The human body requires at least 100 mg of potassium every day.
• 100g of a banana has got 358mg of potassium.
• Potassium reduces the risk of stroke, lowers blood pressure, prevents loss
of muscle mass,
• preserves bone mineral density, and reduces the formation of kidney
stones.

Arjun Seth and colleagues, 2014 studied potassium intake and
risk of stroke in women with hypertension and nonhypertension
in the women’s health initiative.
They concluded that high potassium intake is associated with a
lower risk of all stroke and ischemic stroke, as well as all-cause
mortality in older women, particularly those who are not
hypertensive.

After investigating the effects of supplementation with oral
potassium on blood pressure in humans, Whelton PK and
colleagues, 1997, concluded that their results supported the
premise that low potassium intake may play an important role in
the genesis of high blood pressure.
In addition to this, they also recommended that increased
potassium intake be considered as a recommendation for the
prevention and treatment of hypertension, especially in people
who are unable to reduce their sodium intake.

Lanfranco D’Elia and colleagues, 2011 assessed the
relationship between the level of habitual potassium intake and
the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
They found out that higher dietary potassium intake is
associated with lower rates of stroke and might also reduce
coronary heart disease and total cardiovascular disease.
They concluded that their results supported recommendations
for higher consumption of potassium-rich foods to prevent
vascular disease. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE
SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS OF FOODS,
DRINKS, AND EXERCISE.

Magnesium:
• 100g of a banana has got 27mg of magnesium.
• Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in the human
body including energy creation, protein formation, gene maintenance,
muscle movements, and nervous system regulation.

After exploring the effects of magnesium on the dynamic
changes in glucose and
lactate levels in the muscle, blood, and brain of exercising rats
using a combination of
auto-blood sampling and microdialysis, Hsuan-Ying Chen and
colleagues, 2014,
concluded that magnesium enhanced glucose availability in the
peripheral and central
systems and increased lactate clearance in muscle during
exercise.

Angelica Floripedes do Amaral and colleagues, 2012,
investigated the effects of acute magnesium intravenous
loading on the aerobic exercise performance of stable chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
They found out that the acute intravenous loading of magnesium
promotes a reduction in static lung hyperinflation and improves
exercise performance in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease patients.

In addition to being involved in hundreds of essential
biochemical reactions, and boosting exercise performance,
magnesium also fights depression, benefits people with type 2
diabetes, lowers blood pressure, has anti-inflammatory benefits,
can help prevent migraines, reduces insulin resistance,
improves premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and is safe and widely
available.

Conclusion:
• Bananas are very healthy fruits that can be eaten daily instead of wasting
money on expensive processed food supplements.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN HEALTH
BENEFITS OF FOODS, DRINKS, AND EXERCISE.

References:
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6286402/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2849298/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8092089/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12680234/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31939715/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25190445/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9168293/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21371638/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24465574/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22760901/