Bananas Contain Powerful Antioxidants

Bananas Contain Powerful Antioxidants

Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants, and bananas are no exception.

Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants, and bananas are no exception.

They contain several types of potent antioxidants, including dopamine and catechins (1, 2).

These antioxidants have been linked to many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative diseases (28, 29).

However, it is a common misunderstanding that the dopamine from bananas acts as a feel-good chemical in the brain.

In reality, dopamine from bananas does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It simply acts as a strong antioxidant instead of altering hormones or mood (2, 30).

Bananas May Help You Feel More Full

Resistant starch is a type of indigestible carbohydrate found in unripe bananas, which functions sort of like soluble fiber in the body.

As a rule of thumb, you can estimate that the greener the banana is, the higher the amount of resistant starch it contains (31).

On the other hand, ripe (yellow) bananas contain lower amounts of resistant starch and total fiber, but proportionally higher amounts of soluble fiber.

Both pectin and resistant starch have been shown to have appetite-reducing effects and increase the feeling of fullness after meals (20, 32, 33, 34).

Unripe Bananas May Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many of the world’s most serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes.

Several studies have shown that 15–30 grams of resistant starch per day may improve insulin sensitivity by 33–50%, in as little as 4 weeks (35, 36).

Unripe bananas are a great source of resistant starch, and may therefore help improve insulin sensitivity.

However, the reason for these effects is not well understood, and not all studies agree on the matter (35, 37).