10 Incredible (and Science-Backed) Health Benefits of Bananas

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Bananas are not just wonderfully tasty and sweet, but they are also extremely healthy. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Bananas are known to protect us from cardiovascular diseases, cure hangovers, alleviate depression, reduce stress, and give us an instant boost of energy. There’s a reason why athletes prefer bananas to any other fruit.

Here are 10 solid health benefits of bananas that will make you go bananas every day!

10 Health Benefits of Bananas

1) Alleviates Symptoms of Depression

Bananas contain high levels of tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin – the happy chemical in our brain. A research conducted at Oxford University found that women who were recovering from depression had higher chances of regressing back to depression if they were deficient in tryptophan. Bananas can also help people recover from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to its natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.

2) Cures Hangovers

Who hasn’t suffered from a bad hangover? Hangovers are caused by low blood sugar levels in our body. An instant cure for hangovers is to make a banana smoothie and add a bit of honey into it. Bananas can have a calming effect on our stomach, and the honey can build up our blood sugar levels.

3) Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases

Because bananas are high in potassium and low in salt, they are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure and prevent strokes.

4) Lowers Blood Pressure

Bananas are high in potassium and low in salt making it the perfect food to lower blood pressure. The FDA recently allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to lower blood pressure.

5) Improves Cognitive Ability

Research indicates that bananas can improve alertness and help students perform better in exams.

6) Cures Stomach Ulcers

Bananas have soft texture and smoothness making it easy on our digestive system. It has the ability to neutralize stomach ulcers and other intestinal issues.

7) Calms the Nervous System

Bananas are high in B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, which can have a calming effect on our nervous system.

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8) Instant Boost of Energy

Banana is the preferred fruit of all athletes for a reason. Bananas are packed with more digestible carbohydrates than any other fruit. Just having 2 bananas can give you the required amount of energy for a 90 minute workout.

9) Reduces Stress

When we are stressed, our metabolism level rises, thereby reducing the potassium levels. Potassium is vital to us as it normalizes the heartbeat and sends oxygen to the brain. A diet containing bananas can help restore the potassium levels in our body and relieve symptoms of stress.

10) Cures Constipation

Due to its high fiber content, eating bananas can help restore normal bowel movement.

Bottom Line

Bananas are tasty, nutritious, and extremely healthy. Make sure you include it in your daily diet. It’s a simple tweak in your diet that can have massive health benefits as listed in this article. So what are you waiting for?

Go Bananas!

Here’s the summary of this article in a neat infographic which you can save whenever you need remind yourself of the health benefits of bananas.

10-Incredible-Health-Benefits-of-Bananas-You-Should-Know-Infographic-2-1

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2 COMMENTS

    • Thanks for your feedback, Shashidhar. People who have diabetes can still have banana every day, provided they are watchful of the portion sizes. Bananas are rich in fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C, but like all fruits, they too contain carbs. So one needs to be careful with the portion sizes and the number of carbs in each banana. It’s always better to consult a doctor before planning a diabetes diet.

      We’ll address this issue in the coming weeks in future Nutrition articles. Stay tuned!

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