3 Surprising Health Benefits of Bananas

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits out there. They are easy to eat, simple to carry to and from work (which make them a perfect snack!) and are also delicious.

But did you know that bananas are also a super healthy food? Well, they are. And while most people know about the high magnesium content of bananas, not that many know about some of the other healthy benefits.

So, I set out to write a nice little overview which covers 3 of the lesser known benefits.

Table of Contents

#1-Bananas Improve Athletic Performance

When most people think of dietary aids for athletes, the most common one normally discussed are energy drinks. Things like Gatorade or monster energy drinks. These drinks have been marketed to the public as the main way to get energy while exercising and to also replenish electrolytes.

They work, no doubt. But if you’re looking for a natural approach then you probably want a whole food or a whole food derived solution.

Before we discuss why Bananas are such a good food for athletes, let’s look at why Gatorade and energy drinks such as Monster are successful for athletes.

Caffeine and Electrolytes

Gatorade and other similar drinks are popular with athletes because they replenish electrolytes. But what does that really mean?

When you exercise you sweat and when you sweat your body looses salts and other minerals such as magnesium. This is why drinking water isn’t sufficient when you’re really exercising heavily. Water won’t have the salt and minerals necessary to replace the ones you’ve lost during a heavy workout. Gatorade and other sports drinks have these minerals and sugars. But, they aren’t the healthiest. You’re drinking sugars, basically!

Energy drinks, on the other hand, work by feeding your body caffeine. And anyone who drinks coffee in the morning knows that coffee wakes you up and prevents you from being tired. Specifically, caffeine blocks adenosine,which is the neurotransmitter that makes you feel tired. So, the caffeine in the energy drink prevents your body from feeling tired.

So how do bananas factor in here?

So, bananas are a carb source. Like Gatorade. They provide you with both the electrolytes such as magnesium, but more importantly, they are not filled with sugars lacking fiber. The sugars in the banana are bound to fiber…and as such you won’t get the spike and crash that can accompany drinking a sugary drink.

One study paired up cyclists with either bananas or a carb source. The fascinating result of the study was that while the energy received from the bananas and carb source were similar, the cyclists who had bananas had an increase in dopamine!

That is astounding and an incredibly powerful reason to add a banana to your workout. The ability of a natural food to improve dopamine and thereby improve your mood while working out is a huge positive and yet another reason to eat bananas.

#2- Bananas Improve Healthy Bacteria In The Gut

Everyone knows that yogurt and other probiotics are good for healthy gut bacteria. But did you know that bananas are another great source of healthy bacteria. A randomized control study published in 2011 went on to show that eating bananas would increase the healthy bacteria.

The study looked at 60 women who were followed for a period of two months. The two groups had to either drink water or consume a banana or banana flavored water. The group that consumed bananas had an improvement in gut bacteria whereas the regular group stayed the same.

This is excellent news for anyone who happens to be a vegan. Dairy (yogurt in particular)is the main source of gut healthy bacteria. But there are a lot of people who can’t eat yogurt for a variety of reasons. Maybe they are lactose intolerant, or maybe they have ethical qualms about eating animal based products.

For this reason, bananas make an excellent alternative source of healthy gut bacteria!

#3-Bananas Help To Lower Blood Pressure

Finally, it would not be a complete article about the health benefits of bananas if we didn’t touch upon one of the most important ones: the ability of bananas to lower blood pressure!

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of illness in the country. It’s often called the “silent killer”. So,any food that helps to control blood pressure is one worth eating!

Bananas have been found to be linked to a lower level of blood pressure in many studies. For instance, a 2013 study that focused on raw fruit and raw fruit juice (including bananas) found that eating fruit helped lower blood pressure.

So, naturally I always tell people that they should include bananas into their smoothies if they are concerned about blood pressure.