Bananas contain a wide range of nutrients, some with far-reaching health benefits, like improving your mood or lowering your risk of a stroke or heart attack.
Bananas are beneficial for digestive health
Containing about 10% of your daily fiber needs, bananas can help keep your bowel movements regular.
Their soluble fiber is particularly good for regulating the bowels and can help reduce intestinal inflammation, making them an excellent snack for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
What’s more, the resistant starch that’s found in underripe bananas helps feed the good bacteria in your gut, acting as a prebiotic and boosting beneficial intestinal flora for a healthier digestive system.
Bananas support heart health
Keeping your heart healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and longevity. After all, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
Bananas contain high levels of potassium, which plays a vital role in keeping your heart healthy, as it helps manage blood pressure and reduce stress on the heart.
The fiber, folate and antioxidants found in bananas play their part in keeping the heart healthy, too.
Bananas may also help lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Refueling with bananas can boost athletic performance
A 2012 study compared cycling races between competitors who drank Gatorade, and those who had a banana and water, with the latter group performing better overall.
Even if you aren’t in competition, the sugars, energy and electrolytes make bananas an excellent workout snack.
Bananas can help you sleep
The amino acid tryptophan is found in bananas, a hefty dose of which can help you drift off to sleep more easily.
In addition to the tryptophan, the vitamin B6 found in bananas can improve sleep. The fruit’s magnesium helps relax muscles, which may put you in a more restful state, conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Eating bananas can improve your mood
Bananas have the capacity to brighten your mood, thanks to tryptophan. The body can turn tryptophan into serotonin, a mood-stabilizing hormone.
Bananas also contain vitamin B9, or folate. Studies show that people suffering from depression have 25% lower folate levels on average, compared to people without depression.
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Lauren Corona is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews spends thousands of hours analyzing products to recommend the best picks for consumers.
