Fruits are an important nutritional source for good gut health. A diet high in fresh fruits can help with digestion problems due to their fiber and nutrient content. The dietary fiber in fruits acts as food for the good bacteria in the gut and helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Fruits are also abundant in many nutrients that are good for your health besides just the digestive system. Consuming more fruits is a great way of improving your overall general health and preventing diseases.
Banana is an incredibly healthy fruit packed with nutritional benefits and thus is one of the most popular foods in the world. Bananas are thought to have originated about 10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, which domesticates several varieties of bananas even today. It is believed that bananas were introduced to India within the first two millennia of their domestication. The word ‘’banana’’ was derived from the word ‘’banan’’, which means finger in Arabic.
One medium ripe banana contains about 112 calories and 3 grams of dietary fiber. It boasts of a fair amount of nutrients including potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, choline, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, and B3. It also contains several antioxidant flavonoids such as catechins, which have been linked to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This article tells you about how bananas can improve your digestive health and the right way of incorporating them into your diet. [1]
Is banana a prebiotic or probiotic?
Banana is a prebiotic food that helps to activate the probiotic bacteria in the gut. Bananas contain resistant starch and pectin. Unlike other sugars, they do not cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Both resistant starch and pectin regulate blood sugar levels. Pectin is a soluble fiber that effectively regulates bowel function. It also gives the banana its structural form. Resistant starch works as a prebiotic and selectively stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut, relieves constipation, and reduces gas and bloating.
However, if you are not a banana person yet want to enjoy the overall health benefits of this popular fruit, learn how you can add more prebiotics and probiotics to your diet with some popular gut health foods.
How do bananas affect your gut health?
Bananas have a soothing effect on your gut and help to stabilize your gut microbiome and allow the good gut bacteria to thrive.
- When the prebiotic fibers in bananas are fermented by the gut bacteria, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate. Butyrate provides energy to your intestinal cells and preserves the integrity of the intestinal barrier.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties that increase mucosal immunity and intestinal barrier function.
- SCFAs also regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels and increase nutrient absorption, improving your colon health.
How does the fruit change as it ripens?
Bananas start as green and firm and turn yellow, sweet, and soft as they ripen. Unripe bananas contain less sugar and more resistant starch and pectin. These starches are not digested by the human body and are classified as prebiotic fiber.
As the banana ripens, most of the starch is gradually converted into sugar. When a banana becomes ripe, the pectin in bananas breaks down, making it soft giving rise to a mushy banana. Ripe bananas are easily broken down and are gentle on the stomach. This is especially helpful if you suffer from stomach problems such as diarrhea or vomiting.
Although both green and yellow bananas are nutritious, green bananas provide some additional benefits compared to yellow bananas. Green bananas have a low glycemic index (GI). GI is the relative ability of a carbohydrate food to raise your blood sugar. It is for this reason that green bananas are recommended for diabetics and not yellow ones.
But consuming uncooked green bananas is known to cause mild discomfort in some people. It is better to go for yellow bananas with a hint of green to get at least some of the benefits and essential nutrients of green bananas. People with latex allergies should use extra caution with consuming green bananas as they contain a similar allergy-causing protein as that found in latex.
Studies that correlate gut health and banana
A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 87 patients to determine the efficacy of pectin in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). The patients were either given 24g pectin per day or a placebo, for 6 weeks. The colonic microflora was examined before and after the treatment and the stool frequency and form were monitored. Cytokine levels were estimated from the patients’ blood samples.
The study showed that pectin stimulated the growth of bifidobacteria, alleviated clinical symptoms, reduce systemic inflammation, and balanced colonic microflora among IBS-D patients [1].
A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of green banana flour (GBF) in restoring gut microbiome and gut barrier integrity after dysbiosis caused by antibiotics. The researchers induced dysbiosis in mice by subjecting them to antibiotics. These mice were then given 400 mg/kg GBF for 2 weeks. The study showed that GBF restored gut permeability by increasing mucin secretion and restored the gut microbiome balance by stimulating the growth of several beneficial bacteria in the gut [2].
A study was conducted on constipated mice to evaluate the effects of banana-resistant starch (BRS) on gastrointestinal passage and excrement among normal and constipated mice. Constipation was experimentally induced in the mice and they were divided into three groups. Each group received either 1, 2, or 4 g/kg BRS every day, according to their body weight. The small intestinal movement, as well as stool timings and composition, were studied. The study showed that BRS was effective at increasing intestinal motility and could reduce the start time of defecation. Therefore, BRS can be useful for patients suffering from constipation [3].
A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 34 women with BMI between 24-30 kg/m2 (age: 19-45 years) to evaluate the effect of consumption of bananas on fecal microbiota. They were asked to follow their regular diets and the treatment group was given a pre-meal snack of either a banana or a cup of banana-flavored drink twice a day for 60 days, while the other group received a placebo. Stool samples at baseline, after 30 days, and after 60 days were analyzed. The study showed that consuming bananas regularly reduced bloating significantly and stimulated the growth of bifidobacteria in the gut [4].
Times of the day a banana should be eaten
It is best to eat bananas in the morning along with your breakfast. Having a banana as a part of your meal can improve digestion and aid satiety. Alternatively, you can have it as a mid-meal snack in the afternoon. One should avoid eating bananas on an empty stomach as this causes a spike in blood sugar and results in a mid-morning crash. According to Ayurveda, bananas should be avoided at night as they may aggravate cold and cough if consumed at night.
Should bananas be eaten raw or cooked?
Green bananas are extremely beneficial for your gut health. But they tend to be firmer and starchier than ripe bananas and should be cooked before eating. Whole bananas may be boiled or you can use sliced or chopped bananas for frying or sautéing or use them in making curry recipes. Traditional preparation methods of raw bananas use dry heat and are usually preferred over boiling or baking as they don’t alter their mineral content and are just as nutritious as the raw fruit.
Boiling raw bananas can leach out a significant amount of minerals from bananas, including potassium. And while baking doesn’t affect the potassium content of bananas, it can affect other nutrients. Bananas are rich in vitamin C, but this vitamin can be degraded by heat and light. B vitamins are also susceptible to degradation at high cooking temperatures, even though they are usually more stable than vitamin C.
Conclusion
Even though some people believe bananas can cause weight gain it is a complete myth, since there is no evidence backing up this claim. Banana is the world’s most loved fruit as it is delicious, convenient, cheap, and packed with health benefits. It is of high nutrient value and contains prebiotic fibers that nourish your gut microbiome and help improve intestinal permeability. Bananas are beneficial in treating stomach problems as they are easily digested. Additionally, bananas are full of antioxidants, they help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and support the immune system, heart disease, and kidney disease, among various other benefits.
Both ripe and unripe bananas can help keep you healthy. Bananas are easy to consume and go well with a variety of foods. They can be added to your breakfast cereals, fruit cream, chia pudding, smoothies, or topped over a whole grain toast with peanut butter. Frozen bananas can be blended into healthy, one-ingredient ice cream. Bananas can be used in place of sugar in cooking or baking as they can add the right sweetness and consistency to your recipes, such as pancakes. Overripe bananas can be used for baking as they add flavor and moisture to your recipes.
How many bananas you should consume in a day depends on your unique nutrient and calorie needs. You can have as many bananas as you like, as long as, it doesn’t displace other foods or nutrients from your diet or exceed your daily calorie requirements. In general, consuming a banana daily or two is considered moderate for most healthy individuals.
You can also learn about the Top 10 Clinically Proven Leaky Gut Supplements that are a great source of probiotics and prebiotics
References
- Xu L, Yu W, Jiang J, Feng X, Li N. [Efficacy of pectin in the treatment of diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome]. Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2015 Mar;18(3):267-71. Chinese. PMID: 25809332.
- Li P, Li M, Song Y, Huang X, Wu T, Xu ZZ, Lu H. Green Banana Flour Contributes to Gut Microbiota Recovery and Improves Colonic Barrier Integrity in Mice Following Antibiotic Perturbation. Front Nutr. 2022 Mar 14;9:832848. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.832848. PMID: 35369097; PMCID: PMC8964434.
- Wang J, Huang JH, Cheng YF, Yang GM. Banana resistant starch and its effects on constipation model mice. J Med Food. 2014 Aug;17(8):902-7. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2013.3016. Epub 2014 Jul 21. PMID: 25046686; PMCID: PMC4126267.
- Mitsou EK, Kougia E, Nomikos T, Yannakoulia M, Mountzouris KC, Kyriacou A. Effect of banana consumption on faecal microbiota: a randomised, controlled trial. Anaerobe. 2011
Welcome to my website, I am Dr. Brixton Sanchez! I am a GI physiology functional bowel specialist. I help people with disorders of the gastrointestinal system. I specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs). I treat patients with a variety of FGIDs, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and other functional gastrointestinal disorders.
I offer a unique approach to the treatment of FGIDs. I use a combination of medication, diet, natural prebiotic and probiotic supplements, and lifestyle changes to treat my patients. I also offer psychological support to help my patients cope with their symptoms.
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