Grown from a flowering plant, bananas are tall, golden tropical fruits. They are delicious, tender, and a handy way to get some essential nutrients. Their roots are in Southeast Asia. Bananas have been farmed for more than a century, and their health advantages have been marketed since prehistoric times. Nowadays, tropical regions like Africa, South and Central America, China, and India are home to more than 150 countries where bananas are farmed. Numerous varieties exist. In Europe and North America, the most common type of banana is the dessert variety, or Cavendish.
Here are few health benefits of eating bananas:
1. High in nutrients: Bananas are low in protein and fat, but they are quite high in carbohydrates, water, fibre, and antioxidants.
2. High in antioxidants: Bananas are one of the many fruits and vegetables that are a great source of dietary antioxidants. They contain amines and flavonoids, two powerful classes of antioxidantsTrusted Source. Numerous health advantages, including a lower risk of heart disease and macular degeneration, are associated with these antioxidants. Antioxidants assist in preventing free radical-induced oxidative cell damage. Free radicals can accumulate over time and become harmful if their levels in your body rise to a certain point if you do not get enough antioxidants in your diet.
3. Enhance blood glucose levels: A good source of soluble fibre is bananas. Soluble fibre turns into a gel when it dissolves in liquid during digestion. This could also be a factor in the sponge-like texture of bananasTrusted Source. Additionally, resistant starch—a form of fibre that your body is unable to digest—is present in unripe (green) bananas. When combined, these two kinds of fibre can help control blood sugar levels following meals and hunger by delaying stomach emptying. This indicates that in those without diabetes, bananas may not result in significant increases in blood sugar levels despite having a larger carbohydrate content.
4. Improves cardiac health: Potassium is an essential mineral for heart function, particularly for controlling blood pressure. Few people, meanwhile, consume adequate potassium in their diets. A medium banana offers 10% of the daily value of potassium, making them an excellent source of the mineral. Consuming a diet high in potassium may help decrease blood pressure.Reducing your risk of hypertension—a reliable source. Additionally, a 2017 study conducted in mice indicates that potassium may reduce the incidence of heart disease by 27%.Reliable Source. Furthermore, 8% of the DV for magnesium, another crucial element for heart health, is found in bananasTrusted Source.
5. Improves intestinal well-being: Numerous health advantages have been connected to dietary fibre.Reliable Source, with enhanced assimilation. Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, a kind of fibre that is considered a prebiotic. Prebiotics manage to elude digestion and wind up in your large intestine, where they are consumed by probiotics, the good bacteria that live in your digestive system.